The Second Wife (5 page)

“Oh yeah. Marjory acted like I was a home wrecker. She wanted me nowhere near her son.” Tina shrugged. “I ended it with Jason. Seemed the best way to keep Marjory from declaring all-out war on me.”

“Interesting. Do you know if Marjory was having an affair when she died?”

“Not sure. But she sure did everything possible to take that dental-clinic job away from me. Sally gave it to me first. Then Marjory kept asking for it until Sally gave in. It was odd.”

“Why?”

“Well, it meant Marjory had to drive clear across town to work. She already had a nice job near where she lived. Maybe she had her eye on one of their dentists and was waiting for an opening.” Tina flicked cigarette ash onto the table. “Is that all? I've actually got a date. He should be here any moment.”

“Yes. That should do it.”

We walked toward the front door. “If you think of anything, here is my phone number.” I handed her a card with my name and office number.

We stepped outside. Tina waved at someone across the street. He was just locking his car parked behind mine. I ducked my head, but it was too late. Jason had seen me. He looked puzzled, like he was trying to place me. I glanced at Tina, and she wouldn't meet my eyes. It hadn't taken her long to get back with Jason now that his mother was out of the picture. Curiouser and curiouser.

I hurried to my car and climbed inside. I locked the door and drove away without making eye contact. I prayed he wouldn't remember seeing me in the funeral home parking lot. Before I turned the corner, I saw Jason hugging Tina in my rearview mirror. Talk about an unlikely couple. They seemed as good a match as a cow and a chicken. Marjory had freaked out when they were dating. Both had been angry with her for breaking them up. The way I saw it, they had two good reasons to want her out of the way—money and hormones. These motives were enough to make them suspects in my book. But did they have what it took to kill her?

I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand. How stupid could I be? I should never have left Tina the card with my name on it. Jason would see it and know that I wasn't an old friend of his mother's. He might even have heard my maiden name from Brian or his mother.

Once again, I drove home as fast as my car could manage. I kept checking to make sure I wasn't being followed. It seemed like a good idea to lie low for the rest of the day.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

M
onday morning I made it in to work for eight. I planned to catch up on some work and then visit the dental office. I'd brought the papers that Sally Peters had photocopied for me. It was time to figure out where the dentist office was located. I skimmed down the sheet until I found the clinic name. “Pine Tree Dental on West Superior Street,” I read aloud. I lifted my head. Some bit of information was floating in my memory bank. “Aha! Marjory worked at the same place where Cal got the dental records to id her.”

I looked around to make sure nobody heard me talking to myself. I tossed the paper back on the desk. It was a little fact that might mean nothing. It was just one more useless bit of information that wasn't getting me any closer to saving Brian. I knew that I should just stick to my desk job and stop playing detective. But the puzzle had me in its grip.

Cal came by my desk as I was getting ready to leave for the clinic. It was close enough to noon that I could claim the time away as my lunch hour.

“How you doing, Gwen?” he asked. He stood in the doorway to my cubicle. He looked uncomfortable.

“Do you want a real answer or a cheery one?”

“Yeah. Not much happiness around here lately. Anyhow, I just wanted to be the one to tell you that Brian didn't make bail. It's a first-degree murder charge.”

“You sure know how to pick up a girl's spirits.”

“Sorry, Gwenny.”

“Did Brian say he met her that day? You know, at the restaurant near Interstate 35?”

“They were seen together. He claims she called him. He also says she was alive when he left her. However, we found her blood in the trunk of his car. Nobody ever saw her alive again after they left the restaurant together.”

“I don't think he did it, Cal. I was married to the man a long time. I would have known if he had the killer gene.”

“Anyone can crack. I wish it didn't look so bad for him.”

“Yeah.” I grabbed my handbag from my desk and stood up.

“Can I buy you lunch, Gwen?”

“Maybe another time. I have a dental appointment.”

“Okay. Don't let them drill too deep.”

I slid my car into an empty space underneath a giant plastic molar suspended from a metal pole at the north end of the parking lot. It was a short hot walk past a takeout pizza place and a store offering two-for-one body piercings. The doors to Pine Tree Dental slid open in front of me. I headed for reception.

I had to wait for a man with slobber dribbling out the side of his mouth to finish paying by credit card. He sounded like he was chewing on waxed paper. He left and the girl motioned me forward. She had a microphone strapped around her head that she spoke into every now and again. It was as if she was talking to a secret lover who whispered into her ear. Her name tag said
Cindy
. A big-toothed smiley face was pinned to her chest.

“Yes. Can I help you?”

“I'm here about Marjory White.” I flashed my police badge.

Cindy's eyes got rounder. “Such a sad thing. We could hardly believe she died. It's been a tragic month. Just tragic.”

“I'm here to collect her file.”

Cindy's forehead wrinkled. “Why, we gave her X-rays to the police already.” She leaned forward. Her voice lowered. “I believe they had to identify Marjory by her dental records. Her body was cooked by the heat.” A delicate shiver ran through Cindy's shoulders.

“Yes, but I'm looking for Marjory's entire record. The file doesn't have her dental history.”

“We still haven't found it if that's why they sent you back. Dr. Williams told that detective we'd call if it showed up. Sorry.” She spoke into her headset. “No, he cancelled. You have a root canal at two.” She turned back to me and flashed me her perfect white smile.

I leaned on the counter as if I was settling in for a chat. “So, how well did you know Marjory?” I asked.

“Marjory replaced Brit. Brit was hit by a car and broke both legs, so we had to use a temp agency. Lucky that a card for the Hampton Agency arrived in the mail that week. Anyhow, Marjory showed up and we were impressed. She volunteered to stay late and sort out the files. We miss her.”

I pretended to hesitate. “Cindy, you seem like a person who can keep a secret. There have been rumors brought to our attention that Marjory might have been seeing one of your dentists. I wonder if you can confirm this information.”

“Seeing how?”

“Seeing as in dating. Having a relationship.” Boinking.

Cindy laughed. “No possible way. Three of our dentists are women and married. The other dentist is a man but definitely not interested in women.” She puffed out her chest. “I can attest to that personally.”

“No married dentist with four children works here?”

“Nope.”

I was confused. I'd been sure Marjory was having an affair. Why else would she have demanded to work here? Too many random events had happened with Marjory at their center. My mind was making connections but they weren't adding up. I needed to find out more about her past. That meant tracing back through her life and anyone who knew her.

“Do you happen to know who her last dentist was before she transferred here?”

Cindy's face clouded over and then brightened. “I only remember because I overheard her cancel an appointment when she first arrived and thought what a small world. Dr. Bloom is my mother's dentist too. That's why his name stuck in my head. He's not taking on new clients though. He plans to retire in the fall.”

“Thanks so much for your help,” I said. I tapped the counter twice with the palm of my hand. “Have a nice day.”

I put my head down and trotted for the door.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

I
'd gotten behind on my work at the station. The chief wanted some forms filled in before I left for the day. That put my investigation on hold. I sat at my desk typing in information with a knot of frustration in my stomach. It was hard to concentrate on paperwork when I would rather be tracking down clues on Marjory's murder. My mind had been sprung out of a box, and I couldn't put it back in. The thrill of the chase and the excitement of solving a puzzle had given me energy. I now had a reason to get up in the morning. I hadn't even known what I was missing. I wondered if I would ever be happy sitting at a desk again.

The nightshift had arrived by the time I stepped outside. It was still daylight, but the sun was on its way down. I wasn't paying much attention to anything as I walked toward my car. I was thinking about Brian and what a sitting duck he'd been. He was a middle-aged man working in a shoe store. Marjory had played on his memories of youth—offered him a chance to find the excitement long gone. It made me sad to think he hadn't tried to find it in our marriage.

I waved at two police officers heading out on patrol. I just needed to make a few more phone calls before I had all the information to prove how the murder had happened. I was starting to like being a detective. It was exciting when the facts began to make sense.

It wasn't until I reached the parking garage that I noticed somebody behind me. I'd caught movement out of the corner of my eye. My first thought was to run, but I didn't want to go deeper into the garage. I'd be trapped like a bug in a jar. I turned to face whoever was standing across the sidewalk from me in the shadows. I could make out a man's shape but not his face. He stepped forward and started running toward me. It was a shock to see Jason bearing down on me like a tank. His face was red and angry. He was bigger than I remembered.

“Can I help you, Jason?” I tried to sound in control. Even so, I could hear my voice tremble. I put my hands on my hips. I wouldn't let him know that he scared me. For the first time since I took the desk job, I wished I had my gun. It was locked up in a safe at home. There'd been no need for a gun or a uniform when I was doing paperwork. I looked around. We were alone and all but hidden from view.

Jason stopped a few feet away from me. “You told me you were a friend of my mother's. Then I find out you're a cop, asking about her murder. I also find out you were married to Brian. You lied to me.” He shouted the last bit. His fists were clenched at his sides. “Your name isn't Wendy. It's Gwen Lake. You must have thought you were so smart lying to me.”

“I should have been more honest. I'm sorry. I was just helping the detective.”

“Brian killed my mother.”

“I know. All the evidence points to him.”

“Then why are you still asking questions?”

“I'm done as of today.”

Jason's shoulders relaxed. “Good because I want Brian to pay for what he did.”

“Oh, I'd say he's paying already.”

Jason nodded. “You know when you asked me where my father lives and I said Wisconsin? Well, I meant New York. I get confused.”

“That's okay. Geography isn't my strong suit either.” If a girl needed to roll over and play dead, I could give lessons.

“Okay, well, I just wanted you to know that you shouldn't be tricking people. Some of us don't like it. We might have to stop you.”

“Consider me stopped. It was wrong of me to act like I was friends with your mom.”

Jason started to back away. He looked confused. He'd probably been expecting more of a fight. “Okay,” he said. “I guess I'll see you around then…or not.” He cocked his hand at me like he was firing a gun. “Just so long as you leave me alone.”

“You can count on it.”

He turned and started walking away from me. I held a hand up to cover my wildly thumping heart. I watched him until he was gone from sight.