Murder in the Air (39 page)

We ordered, and over a bowl of chowder, Kay gave me the details. After she and Bud left the garage and went to his cottage, Bud poured her a brandy to help her warm up. Her first concern, of course, was to make sure I had plenty of time to make my getaway. So, even though he'd frightened her, she played along. They talked for a while, mainly I think about his wife's reaction to his demand for a divorce. He said it was going to be a nasty fight, but he'd get what he wanted, sooner or later. Actually, he thought it might be a simple equation. The more money he promised, the quicker he'd get some action. She could, of course, contest
—
tie him up in court for years. But he doubted she'd turn down his offer. His freedom was going to cost him a bundle, but it was a small price to pay to be with the woman he loved.

Well, as you can imagine, I nearly vomited in my soup when I heard that load of crap. I was convinced now that he'd go to any extreme to get what he wanted. I had no doubt in my mind that the whole story was false. He'd never talked to his wife that morning, unless it was to order her to pick up his suits at the cleaners. I voiced my opinion to Kay, and she agreed
—
at least, I thought she did.

Around nine, Kay told Manderbach that she had to get home. He offered to drive her. When she hesitated, he pourtced. Why had she lied to him about where she lived? This, as you might imagine, caught her completely off guard. She couldn't come clean and tell the truth
—
it was far too incriminating. After hemming and hawing for a few minutes, she finally admitted her lie and asked him how he'd found out.

He explained that he'd known she'd been lying about her real address for weeks, but since he was intrigued by the situation, and more than a little attracted to her, he played along. “You live with Sally Nash, don't you?” It was more a statement than a question. She admitted she did. Again, she asked how he knew.

“I'm your employer, “ he replied. “All I had to do was check your records.”

I never thought of that, Mom. I was sure I'd covered all my bases, but here was something I'd missed. The fact that Manderbach had easy access to the store's employment files never entered my mind. Initially, Kay had been pretty mysterious about where she lived. I'm sure that sent him straight to the personnel office. All along, he'd been playing with her. Cat and mouse.

Kay had to think fast. She couldn't tell him about me because she knew it would get me in big trouble. So she said, “I had you drop me off at a friend's house so that I could keep my real address private. You've right. I do live with Sally. We've been friends for years. She told me all about you.”

“ You know nothing about me, “ he said. He got up and began to pace. At this point Kay said he started to get
really angry. He demanded to know what she was hiding. She said she didn't know what he was talking about. That's when he grabbed her purse and dumped the contents on the couch. Kay tried to stay calm. She asked him what he was looking for.

“A camera, “ he said, tossing the purse aside. Next he checked her coat.

“I don't have a camera,” she said. Thank God she didn't have to lie about that.

He grabbed her by the arms. “Where is it? “ he demanded. “I know what you were doing in that garage. Don't lie to me. This has been a setup from the very beginning!”

Well, she was terrified. He seemed to know everything. And he was hovering over her. Threatening her. Hurting her. “All right,” she said finally. “Sally did tell me … about the hit-and-run.”

“I knew it,” he send. He sank down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Then he offered this explanation. “Look, you don't understand. In trying to do Sally a favor, you've put yourself in the middle of a terrible mess. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do about it now. Will you give her a message from me?”

Kay couldn't imagine what he wanted to tell Sally, but she said she would.

“I know I'm a rat. I broke a promise, but I had good reason. Tell Sally I'm going to get the front end fixed soon. I couldn't do it before. Too many people were looking for a car with just that kind of damage.”

Kay nodded. At that point I think she was confused. “But why should I tell Sally that?”

“Isn't that what she sent you here to find out? That I'd taken care of the car?”

Kay said sure. That's right. But she was still confused.

Manderbach went on. “Tell her I'm sorry. I should never have let her drive that night. She didn't even have a license. And she'd been drinking. We'd both been drinking.”

When I heard that, my heart stopped. Do you see now
why I told you he was slippery, Mom? He was more than slippery. He was evil!

Kay said he cried. He begged her forgiveness. It was all his fault. A life had been snuffed out, and although he wasn't driving the car, he was responsible. He accepted that. But if the police found out, he wasn't the one who'd go to jail. Sally would. Was it fair to let his bad judgment ruin an innocent young woman's life? Sally was terrified. Devastated. He'd tried everything he could to make it up to her. He'd even bought her a new car, given her some money so she could quit her job. She needed time to pull herself together. But in the end, he knew nothing would bring Olga Landauer back. They both knew it. And that knowledge had ended their affair.

Well, Kay was stunned. Confused. And worst of all, I think she believed him. It all sounded so plausible, I could see why she'd been taken in. Bud had been so distraught that she stayed with him most of the night. He finally fell asleep around three, and that's when she left him a note and then called a cab to take her home.

Sitting across from her at lunch, I could tell she was still reeling from the evening. I felt sorry for her. She always tried so hard to be fair. Very gently, I began to point out the disparities in his story. First, I reminded her of the conversation I'd had with Sally. Sally said her ex-boyfriend had “hurt” someone with something “large.” Now, granted she was drunk at the time, and her words weren't terribly specific, but in context it was clear enough to me what she was saying. At the time I reminded Kay that she'd agreed.

Second, and even more importantly, I said that it made no sense for Bud to buy Sally a car to make her “feel better” if she'd just killed someone with one. That is, unless he was a really sick man, which Kay insisted he wasn't.

And finally I said that I was incredibly frustrated by Kay's inability to see how Manderbach was making the most of the situation by using it to insinuate himself further into her affections. He'd been the one to run Olga Landauer down. He'd left the scene of the accident, and
was now blaming someone else for the crime. Didn't that give her some indication of the man's character?

Kay listened to me, said she understood my concerns, but had to think about it further before she could discuss it. She added that she was having dinner with Bud later that evening. I asked her why. I mean, we'd gotten what we'd come for. Why not just dump him, give him a call and tell him she'd thought it over and wasn't interested in dating him any longer. Kay said she'd already agreed to the date and didn't want to go back on her word. And also, whether I believed it or not, she was positive Bud had asked his wife for a divorce. Finally, she said she'd been in relationships before, and she certainly wasn't going to be so cruel as to end one with a phone call. I had to be patient. When it came to feelings, she knew what was best.

Since there wasn't much I could say, I pulled the contact sheet out of my pocket and showed it to her. There they were, all the pictures I'd taken the night before. She looked at them
—
with less enthusiasm than I'd expected
—
then asked what my next move would be. I said I planned to take the contact sheet and the negatives back to my apartment for safekeeping, and then I was going to drive over and talk to Sally. With what I now knew, I hoped to be able to force her hand
—
get her to see that it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. I didn't know all the legal ramifications, but [figured she was probably an accessory to the crime because she hadn't gone to the police right away. Yet in my mind, she was also an innocent bystander who'd been manipulated by a powerful
—
and thoroughly rotten
—
man for his own selfish purposes. I explained to Kay that I had a friend in the DA's office who might be able to help Sally, that is, if she came clean and admitted the truth. The bottom line was, the photos were good evidence, but we needed more. We needed Sally.

Kay took it all in without offering her usual suggestions. I found that odd, but assumed she was tired after her ordeal of the night before. She finished her soup, kissed me on the cheek, and then said she had to get back
to work. Christmas was only four days away. The store was a madhouse.

That reminded me of the present I wanted to buy her. It was a diamond ring. Mom. As I said before, I already had it picked out. After paying the bill, I walked over to Jacob's and bought it. I was on top of the world. In just a few days Kay and I would be officially engaged. And if the weather cooperated, I knew just where I wanted to ask her for her hand in marriage.

After stopping off at my apartment and calling to make sure Sally was home, I drove to her apartment. Thankfully, Jonnie wasn't around, so we could talk undisturbed. I briefly laid out what I'd learned and said I had photos of the car used in the hit-and-run. She sat poker-faced through it all
—
never said a word. I pleaded with her to help me put Manderbach behind bars. Ill never forget what she did, Mom. She got up, walked to the door, and said, “I think you should leave.”

I couldn't believe my ears. After all the work I'd put into this story, after everything Kay had done, Sally still wouldn't budge. I thrashed around in my mind for something to say
—
and I hit on an idea. “Kay's involved with Bud Manderbach, “ I said.

Her eyes threw off a spark. “That's ridiculous. Besides, you used that line to bait me once before. It didn't work then and it won't work now.”

“How do you think I got the pictures of his car?”

That gave her a moment's pause. “I don't believe you. He'd never date someone like Kay. She's not his type. She's much too
…
wholesome.”

I laughed out loud because it was so true, and yet Sally hadn't meant it as a compliment. “Well, that doesn't change the facts. And you know what else? Bud said you were driving the car that night. You killed Olga Landauer.”

Now her eyes flashed daggers at me. “That's a lie!”

“Of course it is, Sally. But unless you tell the police what you know
—
and fast
—
he may get there first. And believe me, when a rich man tells his story, even if it's a
lie, people listen. “ I didn't believe for a minute that Bud's money would make any difference—justice doesn't work that way in this country
—
but I knew it might hit a nerve. Sally was a poor young woman who wanted to be rich
—
because being rich meant you were someone. People listened to “someone,” not “nobodies” like her. It played right into her fears.

I didn't get up, but waited, hoping I'd found the key that would unlock a flood of incriminating information about Bud Manderbach, but instead, Sally remained adamant. With a coldness I found chilling, she said, “Get out.”

I pleaded with her to reconsider.

“Listen, Mr. Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, I don't ever want to see you again. Do I make myself clear?”

There wasn't much else I could say. I grabbed my hat and left.

I drove around for the next couple of hours. I must have smoked an entire pack of cigarettes while I tried to make sense of what had happened. Without Sally's eyewitness testimony, the case against Bud Manderbach was hardly a sure bet, but I didn't know what else to do.

I returned to the apartment around seven. I thought I'd make myself a sandwich and watch some TV. I figured Kay would call when she got home from her date with Manderbach. Except for the night before, we'd always talked after her dates.

When I went into the kitchen, I found a note propped against the sugar bowl. The only other person who had a key to my apartment was Kay, so I knew it had to be from her. I couldn't imagine why
—
or when
—
she'd stopped by. She'd never done it before
—
not unless she called first. I still have the note, Mom. I had it in my wallet on Christmas eve. I'll copy it word for word so you can read what she said.

Justin:

I don't know how to begin. You won't like what I'm about to say, so I might as well just say it. For the past few weeks
I've tried to resist what was happening to me, but last night, I finally had to face the truth. I haven't said anything to you before because, deep down, I guess Fm a coward.

You know I love you deeply, Justin, but Fve also grown to care about another man. You know who I mean. While you know about Bud, Bud doesn't know about you. Tonight, I plan to tell him. I hate dishonesty, Justin. It's impossible to love two men, so I have to make a choice. I promise, I won't make you wait long. Today is Tuesday. Be patient with me, darling, and realize this is the most painful decision of my life.

After I talk to Bud tonight, I intend to go away. I should be home by Thursday morning. Fll call you when I get back. I guess Thursday evening is Christmas eve. Funny, but a month ago I had a very different idea of what this Christmas would bring.

What I tell you next may make it seem like Fve already made a choice, but let me assure you I haven't. Justin, forgive me, but I took the negatives and the photo sheet from your bedroom drawer. I don't intend to give them back. By the time you read this, Bud will already have moved his father's car out of the city. For now, please trust that Fm doing what's right.