Slip and Go Die (A Parson's Cove Mystery) (27 page)

The bell rang again. Someone was getting impatient. That would be Reg. He hit it three times. Why do people think you’ll get to the door faster if they keep hitting the bell?

I opened the door. I’d been right. There was Reg Smee, trying hard to look like a cop. He’d pushed his fur hat to the back of his head. His jacket was unzipped, making sure that I noticed his badge and gun belt. Captain Maxymowich was standing at the bottom of the step.

Reg sighed, muttering under his breath, “About time,” and walked past me into the kitchen.

Cats must have some instinct about the weather: when it’s cold, they don’t go near the door. As soon as it warms up, somehow they know, without checking the weather channel. Now, all seven raced out the door as if I’d been keeping them hostage and this was their first chance for escape.

Of course, it could be that they don’t like police officers.

The Captain stood for a moment and watched the cats. There were seven of them and they dispersed in seven different directions in the backyard, disappearing into the darkness. In about seven minutes, they’d all be at the door scratching to get back in.

“So, Mabel.” The Captain was smiling. “I see you’ve helped us solve another case.”

“Oh, it wasn’t anything.” I smiled back. “Aren’t you coming in?”

He grinned.

“Thank you.”

I stood aside and waited for him to come in. Somehow, I could never imagine Reg being so polite. A glance into the empty kitchen told me that Mr. Smee had made himself at home and was probably sitting in my living room, waiting. Well, maybe I’d make him wait a bit longer.

Captain Maxymowich stopped just inside the kitchen.

“Can I take your coat, Captain?” I asked.

“Thank you.” He shrugged out of his big overcoat. I took it and laid it over one of my kitchen chairs. I didn’t want to take it back and hang it up by the backdoor for fear that he’d escape into the living room before I could get him alone.

Maxymowich was as tall and slouched over as I remembered. His hair had been almost white before. Now, it was ice-white. That, I guess, is what can happen if you work in a very stressful environment. He wasn’t old. I’d be surprised if he were fifty. I took a good look at him while he was busy straightening his tie and jacket. I couldn’t imagine why I’d ever felt so intimidated before. It’s true he didn’t have a permanent smile plastered on his face but when he did smile, it was worth the wait. The outside might look a bit crusty but there was a softness that shone through. It’s strange I’d never noticed it in the beginning.

“We should have called first, Mabel. I hope you don’t mind.” He went through the motion of straightening out, but, somehow, still managed to look slouchy.

“No, not at all.”

“It’s just that we have to take the prisoners into the city tonight. I felt, as did Sheriff Smee, that you should be kept up to date on what’s happening.”

“Sheriff Smee said that?”

He grinned. “Well, maybe not in so many words, but I’m sure that’s what he really meant.”

I grinned. “Yes, I’m sure that’s what he meant too.”

“By the way, you don’t happen to have any of those strawberry muffins, do you?”

I nodded. “I always have strawberry muffins.”

“I’ll never forget those muffins, Mabel. If you could dig some of those up with some freshly-brewed coffee, I’d be the happiest man alive.”

“Captain, why don’t you sit here in the kitchen while I get everything ready? Maybe you could answer a few questions for me while we’re waiting.”

“Sure.” He pulled out a chair and slouched over the kitchen table, watching me.

“What do you want to know?” His hands were under his chin.

I turned the element on under the coffee pot.

“Well, I guess for starters, do you know who owns all that stolen stuff? It wasn’t Beulah’s, was it?”

“You figured that out, did you?” Mr. Maxymowich had a slight twinkle in his eyes.

I grinned. “Actually, Charlie gave me that idea. Have you met him yet?”

“Is that the gentleman who saw them robbing your store?”

“You knew about that?”

He nodded. “One of the participants has been very willing to talk.”

“You don’t mean Chester, right?”

He laughed. “Chester wouldn’t talk if you threatened to pull out his tongue.”

I took out the strawberry muffins and slid them into the microwave.

“Mr. Washington?”

“No, his mouth seems to be firmly glued shut too.”

“You must mean Millicent then,” I said.

If the Captain was surprised, he didn’t show it. He simply nodded.

“What’s going to happen to her, Captain Maxymowich?”

“We’re making a deal with her. There’s no point in sending her to prison. If she gives us what we want, she won’t even have a criminal record. She thought her father might be up to no good, but he had total control over her. Apparently, she hasn’t seen him in years. He contacted her privately, told her not to tell her mother. He can be very persuasive when he wants to be. She was thrilled that he wanted to meet with her. He made all sorts of promises. She was sure he’d take her out of here and set her up in an apartment in the city.”

“Are you guys coming in here or not?” Reg yelled from the living room.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” the Captain answered. “Do you want some of Mabel’s strawberry muffins?”

“Okay,” Reg yelled again. “I’ll wait.”

The Captain looked at me and winked.

“Anything else?”

“I wonder why Chester hit her?”

The Captain raised his eyebrows.

“I saw it out my window. I almost went over to help.”

“Good thing you didn’t, Mabel.” He straightened up and stretched his legs out under the table. “That was when Millicent realized that her father had used her. She was just a part of his plan. He’d deceived her into thinking that she would be a part of his life. She was only a pawn. He needed her to get in contact with Beulah.”

“Beulah? Are you telling me that Beulah had something to do with Chester and his partner? I can’t believe it!”

“No, Beulah had nothing to do with it. The men were planning to store their stolen items there until the market cooled down. It’s not that easy to get rid of hot antiques.”

“You mean some of those things were worth a lot of money?”

“Mabel, all those things were worth a lot of money: thousands and thousands of dollars.”

“You’re kidding. Are you serious? Thousands and thousands of dollars?“

Maxymowich nodded.

“But, if Beulah wasn’t involved, why would she agree to store those things? And, why did they need Millicent to contact Beulah?”

“First of all, Chester was the one who knew she lived there. Luther just knew that she had moved to Parson’s Cove many years ago. Since it wasn’t possible for him to call up his mother and ask for a favor ….”

“Wait a minute. Who are we talking about here? Who’s mother?”

“I’ll get to that. Be patient, Mabel. Now, where was I? Oh yes, they needed someone to scout out the place. That’s where Millicent came in. She used the excuse that she was going out to sell things to Beulah, but, in reality, she was checking out things for her father. In return, her father paid her. It seemed simple enough to Millicent.”

“Why would she agree to do something so dishonest? I can’t believe she’d even consider it for one moment.”

“At that point, Mabel, she had no idea what her dad was up to. All she knew was that her dad and his business partner needed a place to store some inventory. He told her that they were so overstocked, they needed a safe place where no one would find it. Some place out in the country, away from anyone would be the ideal place.”

“So, she suggested Beulah’s?”

He shook his head. “No. He described a cabin that he’d seen years back when he lived in Parson’s Cove and thought that it would be the perfect spot. He told her they’d be willing to pay the owner for storing the things.”

“Was that true? Did he remember the cabin?”

He shrugged. “It was the person in the cabin who he was really interested in.”

“Beulah? Why?”

“Because Luther Washington, Chester’s partner, is Beulah’s son.”

“Pardon me?”

“You heard it right. Luther is Beulah’s son; a son that she disowned many years ago.”

“I didn’t even know Beulah had been married.”

“No one around here did, I imagine. Her husband was a troublemaker, too. Somebody shot him when he lived in Chicago years ago. His son was like him, always in trouble with the law.”

“Why would he be interested in seeing his mother if she’d disowned him?”

He shrugged. “Maybe he wanted to see her one last time. Maybe he wanted to use her. Maybe he thought she would want to see him. I don’t know.”

The muffins were ready; the coffee was ready. There was no reason to keep Reg waiting.

“Here, I’ll help.” Captain Maxymowich picked up the tray and took it into the living room. I followed with the pot of coffee.

Reg was sprawled in my father’s big chair. His head was thrown back, his eyes shut and his mouth open. Plus, he was snoring. Not, what I would call, a pretty sight.

“It’s been a long day for your sheriff,” Maxymowich said, grinning.

He fixed his coffee, picked up a muffin, took a huge bite and sighed after each swallow.

I sat and drank my coffee. There were still some unanswered questions: Had Beulah really been murdered? Could her own son have killed her? Was Esther aware of what was going on? Why had she said she knew someone who would buy all the stuff? Had she been protecting her daughter? Where was all the rest of the stolen goods? Why had they been using Krueger’s house?

Then, of course, there was my own special problem: if none of the antiques belonged to Beulah, how would I ever pay for my new furnace? I wouldn’t ask that question. I didn’t want the Captain to get the idea that I thought only about myself.

The Captain and I were on our second cup of coffee when Reg snorted and woke up. I doubt it bothered him that I’d caught him snoozing, but I don’t think he liked Maxymowich seeing him so vulnerable. He reached over, picked up a muffin and started to eat as nonchalantly as was possible. I poured his coffee and fixed it up for him. The Captain watched with a slight smile on his lips.

The Captain cleared his throat. “Was there anything else you were wondering about, Mabel?”

I nodded. “Was Beulah really murdered?”

He looked very serious as he stared at his coffee cup.

“That has been very hard to prove.” He looked up at me. “However, your tape will be a big help. In that tape, he threatens you. He knew what happened to Beulah. Said that the same thing might happen to you. Also the fact that they tried to kill Charlie will be evidence against them.”

“Millicent doesn’t know what happened?”

“She claims not. Apparently, she was in Beulah’s house. Her father had told her to go and pick out some jewelry for herself. She heard them yelling at each other, but when she went outside it was too late–Beulah was on the ground and the men had taken off. She wants to believe that it was an accident.”

“If it was an accident, why did the men run? Why didn’t they carry her into the house?”

“Because they’re wanted by the police all over the country, Mabel. There was no way that Luther could stay and say that he was simply visiting his mother. He’s been wanted on theft and assault charges for years now. Besides, some of the stolen goods were in Beulah’s living room. At that point, Millicent thought Beulah was being very cruel to her son. She still had no idea the men were crooks. She was so happy to be finally with her father; she couldn’t understand why Beulah wouldn’t want to see her own son. ”