Throw in the Trowel (13 page)

“Kermit had a mean streak that came out in full force when he drank. We tried to steer clear of him at those times, but he never raised a hand to any of us.”

Doug was so calm, it was eerie.

“Would you say he was verbally abusive?” I asked.

“I guess that would be the modern term for it,” Doug said. “Mom would refer to it as one of his black moods.”

“Was your mom subjected to his black moods, too?” I asked.

“Of course. She took the brunt of it until I got older. Then I'd try to defuse the situation whenever I could.”

“How did you defuse it?” Marco asked. “Did you have to get physical with him?”

“No. All I had to do was step in front of my mother. Kermit knew I'd protect her.”

It had to help that Doug was big for his age. Even now, he was an imposing presence.

“Did you know your dad was seeing Parthenia Pappas?” Marco asked.

Still with that unnatural calmness, he said, “Yes, I did.”

“Have you ever asked Parthenia what became of your dad?” I asked.

“We don't speak. It's too awkward. But I don't harbor any ill will toward her. She was a beautiful young woman and my father was a charming man when he wanted to be. Parthenia probably had no idea what Kermit was really like. She saw the side he wanted her to see.”

“Did you ever hear the rumor that she was carrying your dad's child?” I asked.

I'd forgotten to mention that to Marco, so my question brought raised eyebrows from him. I gave him a shrug to say I was sorry.

Doug, however, gazed at me as though I'd just asked about the weather. “Yes.”

“Do you know if the rumor was true?” I asked.

“It was true. That's why Parthenia wanted to leave town.”

The gossips had been right. I scribbled it down as Marco continued. “How did you find out?”

Doug looked down for a moment, as though composing his thoughts. “I'm not proud of this, but I followed Kermit to Parthenia's house and eavesdropped. They were discussing what to do about it.”

“Would you mind sharing what you heard?” Marco asked.

“What I heard,” Doug said in an emotionless voice, “was Parthenia urging Kermit to divorce my mother and make a fresh start with her and the baby.”

I had a sudden image of Doug as a teenager, standing outside, listening to that conversation, and I couldn't help but put myself in his shoes. “You must have been shocked.”

“It wasn't a good time,” was all Doug said.

“Did you confront your dad?” I asked.

“No point in it. He would have just denied everything.”

If I'd heard my dad's lover urging him to leave my mom, I would have confronted them both.

“What was your father's response to Parthenia?” Marco asked.

In that same eerily calm voice, Doug said, “He kept saying he didn't know what to do, and that infuriated her so much that she struck him in the face and screamed obscenities at him.”

I shook my head in wonder at the scene he'd described. The man was simply too composed.

“Then you never heard them making plans to leave?” Marco asked.

“No, I didn't hang around that long. I'd heard enough.”

“Do you think they would have stayed in town and continued their affair if she hadn't been pregnant?” Marco asked.

“That's rather a moot point, wouldn't you say?” Doug asked with a weird half smile.

“Did your mom know about your dad's affair?” I asked.

“She knew. She's the one who sent me to spy on Kermit, but I always claimed I couldn't find him, trying to protect her. But she knew in here.” Doug tapped his chest. “She used to say a woman sensed those things.”

“I don't know how your mom felt,” I said, “but I would have wanted to wring his neck.”

Marco draped his arm across the back of my chair and gave me a slight tap, as though to say,
Go easy
.

Doug thought for a moment, then said in an indifferent tone, “She was hurt, of course, but my mother loved that bastard no matter what he did. But she always saw the good in people. She was determined that Kermit would come to his senses and go back to her.”

Doug's unnatural composure was unsettling, to say the least.

“What kind of relationship did your dad and Henry have?” Marco asked.

“Good at first,” Doug said, “but it deteriorated over time due to Kermit's drinking.”

“What was Henry's reaction when he learned that your dad had disappeared?” Marco asked.

“I wasn't there, so I can't answer that. I'm sure Henry was concerned. Everyone was.”

Did Doug include himself in
everyone
?
By his aloof expression, it was impossible to tell.

“Were the police called in to investigate?” Marco asked.

That seemed to strike him as amusing. “Kermit left town with his lover. That's not something you call the police for.”

“Even after Parthenia returned alone?” I asked.

“That happened three decades later,” Doug said. “We assumed Kermit was long gone.”

“But didn't you want to know what happened to him?” I asked.

“Not particularly.”

That was cold. “It doesn't sound like you cared for your dad,” I said.

“When you get pushed away often enough,” Doug said, “that happens.”

“I understand you visited your dad while he was working at Down the Hatch,” Marco said, as I flipped the notepad to a clean page.

“On occasion,” Doug replied.

“What was the occasion?” Marco asked.

Looking down at his folded hands, Doug said, “I was always hoping he'd let me help, but Kermit preferred to work alone.”

His words held such poignancy that I expected to see tears in his eyes when he looked up, but instead his gaze was flat, detached.

“Was Henry ever present on those occasions?” Marco asked.

“Henry was on another project at the New Chapel Savings and Loan.”

“Were you and Henry close?” I asked.

“No,” Doug said. “For years, I thought Kermit preferred Henry over me, but then I came to realize that Kermit preferred himself over everyone.”

“Did it surprise you that your dad ran off with Parthenia?” Marco asked.

“It shouldn't have,” Doug replied, “and yet it did. I thought he loved my mom too much to leave her. If any man looked at her twice, he got insanely jealous. Obviously, I was wrong.”

Remembering what Grace had told me, I asked, “Did your dad ever get into any fights over your mom?”

“My mother had to bond Kermit out of jail twice in my memory. He claimed he was defending her honor, which was nonsense. No one would have said anything bad about Mom.”

“Then you don't think your dad would have willingly abandoned her?” I asked.

“I think he would have under the right kind of coercion,” Doug said.

“Are you speaking of Parthenia?” I asked.

Doug gave me a wry look that said,
Who else?

“Were you and Rusty close?” Marco asked.

That got a genuine smile. “Not at first, but we became close over the years. Rusty always treated me like his own son, and I really respect him for that, and also for how he took care of my mother. He would have done anything for her.”

Doug seemed about to say more, but then stopped.

At a knock behind me, I swiveled for a look and saw a teenage boy stick his head around the doorframe. “Dad? Could I see you for a minute?”

He was tall and good-looking, like his dad, and I guessed he was around eighteen years old, with short brown hair parted on one side and striking blue eyes. He seemed vaguely familiar.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said to us. Then he saw me and his eyes widened as though he recognized me.

“Can it wait five minutes, Haydn?” Doug asked. “I think we're about done here.”

C
HAPTER THIRTEEN

H
aydn?
Could there be
two
teenage Haydns in town or was Tara's secret boyfriend Kermit Cannon's fast-driving, hot-lipped grandson? I glanced back at the doorway to get a better look at the culprit, but he'd ducked out. I turned toward Marco, my eyes wide, and he nodded to indicate he'd caught it.

“Sorry,” Doug said, glancing at his watch, “but I'm going to have to cut this short.”

That was probably a good thing, because I was having a hard time focusing on the interview now. What I really wanted to do was tell Doug to call off his son. Marco must have sensed the direction of my thoughts because he gently squeezed my shoulder.

“I have just a couple more questions, and then I'll wrap it up,” Marco said. “I'd like to verify a few things that Henry mentioned, such as that after your father left, business improved and things were generally better. Is that an accurate statement?”

“Yes, I'd say so,” Doug said.

Marco gave me a tap to remind me to write it down.

I put the pen to the paper, then stopped. Write what down?
Okay, focus, Abby. This is important, too.
Oh, right. What Henry said.

“Did you spy on your father until the time he disappeared?” Marco asked.

“Once I knew what he was doing, there was no point in it.” Doug let out a breath, almost as though he'd been holding it for some time. “Frankly, it made me sick. My mother didn't deserve to be treated like that.”

Finally, a spark of emotion. “But she did end up happily married to Rusty for many years,” I said. “That must have helped ease your mind.”

“Definitely.” Doug opened a drawer, took out his cell phone, and slipped it into his chest pocket. “When I stop to analyze it, Kermit's disappearance worked out well for everyone, despite his almost bankrupting the company.”

They'd been near bankruptcy? Why hadn't Henry mentioned that?

“Would you mind telling us how that came about?” Marco asked.

“Kermit emptied the Cannon Construction checking account before he left,” Doug said.

“How much did he take?” Marco asked.

“Over ten thousand dollars. It doesn't sound like much now, does it?”

“If we find out that it is your father who was buried in the bar's basement,” Marco said, “what do you suppose became of the money?”

“I'd ask Parthenia Pappas that question,” Doug said.

“Should we be looking at her as a murder suspect?” Marco asked.

“I can't tell you your business,” Doug said, “and as I said earlier, I don't think murder is the right avenue. But if you're determined to continue on, then I would recommend that you take a close look at Parthenia. Remember, I saw her strike Kermit. I wouldn't doubt for a moment that she could kill someone.”

Marco waited to make sure I got it all down. Then he said, “With bankruptcy looming, how did the business continue to function?”

“Through hard work and bill collection,” Doug said. “Kermit was terrible when it came to billing customers, so once my mom sent out all the past due notices, enough money came in to keep Cannon up and running. And of course Henry was doing a lot of work.”

“Did you ever talk to Rusty about how Kermit treated you and your mom?” Marco asked.

“I did, but only because Rusty brought it up. My mother's motto was to never air your dirty laundry in public.”

“Had Rusty witnessed something that prompted his question?” I asked.

“Not that I was aware of,” Doug said. “He must have suspected my father's abuse though—or maybe he heard it from someone else.”

“Did you admit to Rusty that Kermit was abusive?” I asked.

With a straight face, Doug said, “I had no reason to lie to him.”

I wondered if Doug had taken some small satisfaction in ratting out his dad. Maybe he'd even hoped Rusty would do something to stop it. “Did Rusty ever talk to your dad about his behavior?” I asked.

“Not that I'm aware. I doubt that Rusty would have interfered.” Doug rose, signaling an end to the conversation.

Marco stood up and reached across the desk for a handshake. “Thanks for taking time to see us.”

“I'd like to be kept abreast of any developments in the case, if you wouldn't mind,” Doug said.

“We'll try to keep you in the loop,” Marco said.

I didn't see Haydn on our way out, but I did see the Mustang in the parking lot, so I knew I was right about his identity.

“Do you know how much I wanted to grab Haydn and give him a hard shake?” I asked, as Marco opened the car door for me.

“I could feel the heat bouncing off your head.” He shut the door and went around to his side to get in.

“Maybe we should wait until he comes out,” I said. “We could have a little talk with him.”

“Not on your life. Did you see Haydn's face when he saw you? He knew exactly who you were, Abby. Tara is a mini you, remember? The last thing we want is for his dad to know of your connection to Tara and put her in jeopardy.”

“How would we put her in jeopardy? Did you pick up on something about Doug Cannon that I didn't?”

“I shouldn't have used the word jeopardy,” Marco said, as we pulled out of the parking lot. “All I'm saying is that we need to ensure that there is absolutely no possibility of Tara being put into an awkward position.”

“Being in an awkward position is a lot different than being in jeopardy.”

“Bear with me here, Sunshine. You know I've been leery of taking this case all along, and talking to Doug just reinforced it. His reactions were not normal. He's got something bottled up inside that put me on edge. That's why I want Tara out of the picture.”

Marco must have realized how much he was frightening me. He reached for my hand and held it. “Look, sweetheart, I don't mean to alarm you, but this isn't just a puzzle to be solved, as much as you'd like to believe it is. If those bones did indeed belong to Kermit, then the case isn't that old and the killer is walking around town a free man—or woman—who's running scared right now. And a scared killer is nothing to mess around with. As you pointed out, Tara's too young to be seeing a seventeen-year-old boy anyway. Wouldn't you rather err on the side of caution?”

“How do we know Haydn won't tell his dad who I am?”

“Because he'd have to admit to seeing a thirteen-year-old, and I doubt he'd want to do that.”

“You're right. I'll text her right now and invite her out for ice cream after school. She
loves
ice cream. She'll get my message as soon as school is over. In fact, I'll tell her that I'll be waiting outside the school to pick her up.”

“Now you've got it. I'll rearrange my day so I can go with you. With the two of us there, she'll get the importance.”

I sent Tara a text, then put away my phone as we approached the town square. “Done. Do you still think I shouldn't tell my brother and sister-in-law?”

“Let's see if we can handle this without involving them.”

“I just wish I knew how to get through to Tara. I don't want to frighten her, but that's probably what I'll have to do.”

“Let's not bring in the murder case unless it becomes absolutely necessary. If we have to, then we'll use a little psychology on her, but to start with, how about just coming from the heart about the boy being too old for her?”

“I tried that before and she shut me out. You remember what it's like, Marco. Teens always think they know better when it comes to love. And besides, they hate any display of emotion from adults. What I need to do is play it icy cool. I'll be Cool Aunt Abby, the person who saved Tara from certain calamity.”

My phone dinged. “Speaking of calamity,” I said, reading the message on the screen, “Jillian just texted a reminder that I'm dog-sitting for her this evening. That was probably why she phoned earlier.”

“Why don't you pay Tara to do it?”

“Hey! Great idea.”

“I'm full of great ideas. Meeting for lunch is also a great idea. If you're game, we can slip in time for a little extra something.”

“That sounds like another excellent idea, Salvare. Your place or—your place?”

“How about the Duchess's art gallery on Tenth Street?”

“That's not quite what I was picturing.”

“I'll bring sandwiches for the ride.”

“Still not what I, um . . . bacon, turkey, and Swiss cheese?”

“I know how to take care of you, babe.”

“You're on.”

“Okay, very quickly,” Marco said. “What did you think of Doug?”

“I agree with you about his reactions. He seemed freakishly calm, especially when he talked about finding his dad with Parthenia, and then the temper tantrum he saw her have. He watched her strike his dad, Marco. I would have been either frightened or so furious I would have pounded on the window to make her stop, but it was as though Doug has dissociated himself from those memories. And he always referred to his dad by his first name, but not his mom. I know some people do that to their parents, but it sounds weird.”

Marco turned on the windshield wipers, as a mist had begun to fall. “The only people I've ever heard do that are the ones who have issues with a parent, which he obviously did.”

“But Doug did seem to appreciate Rusty. The reason I asked him if he had told Rusty about the abuse is because I wondered if Doug had hoped Rusty would do something about it.”

“I know you don't like to hear this, but it's still possible that Rusty did do something about it. As I've told you before, everyone has a breaking point, especially when it comes to defending someone they care about. That also applies to Doug being protective of his mother, by the way. Did you get a reading on Doug's feelings toward Henry?”

“He seemed ambivalent about Henry. Did you notice that Henry's version of Doug spying on his dad differed from Doug's? Henry made it seem like it happened on numerous occasions, but Doug wanted us to believe it was just the one time. And I don't understand why Henry failed to mention that Kermit had cleaned out the checking account. You'd think that would have been the first thing to come up when you asked about the business.”

“Did you make a note of that? We're going to have to revisit the subject with Henry.”

“Noted with asterisks. I also thought Doug's comment about Parthenia's coercion was interesting. He was definitely pointing us in her direction.”

“Maybe for a good reason.”

As Marco stopped in front of Bloomers to let me out, I saw Grace standing at the door. I knew something was up, because as soon as she saw me, she came out to meet me.

“Did your cousin reach you?” she asked, as I got out of the car. “She's been calling here for the past hour. She sounded quite panic-stricken and said it was a royal emergency.”

“A royal emergency?”

“I believe that was the word Jillian used. She was talking so fast, I couldn't be sure.”

“I got a text from Jillian in the middle of our interview, but she didn't say anything about an emergency. She was reminding me that I'm dog-sitting this evening.”

“You don't suppose that was the reason for all those calls, do you?” Grace asked.

“Probably, but I'd better check in with her just to be sure.”

Grace pointed toward the big bay window. “Do you see who's watching you?”

I glanced at the window on the left side of the door and there sat Seedy wagging her tail. “Has she been in the window the whole time?”

“Indeed she has. I believe she's been waiting for you. She didn't hide from the customers, either.”

“She's making progress.”

I stepped inside Bloomers and crouched down to cuddle Seedy, who was so excited to see me that she wouldn't stop licking my face. I finally had to stand up.

Lottie was working with a customer, so when the phone rang, Grace answered it at the cashier's counter. “Bloomers Flower Shop. How may I help you?” She listened, then pointed to me and mouthed,
Jillian.

“I'll take it in the back,” I said, and gave Lottie a wave as I hurried through the curtain.

“What's up?” I asked my cousin.

“I just wanted to make sure you remembered about tonight. I tried your cell phone but you didn't answer.”

“I was busy, but I saw your text. What is the
royal
reference?”

“Didn't I tell you what name I decided on? It's Her Royal Majesty Princess Moon Petal Osborne.”

Dear God. “Is that firm?”

“Yes. Well . . . yes. Anyway, be at my apartment at seven o'clock.”

“I thought you were bringing Her Royal whatever to my apartment.”

“You'll never remember to put Seedy's food up. Love you, wittle cuz. Bye.”

“Dog-sitting tonight, are we?” Grace asked blithely, wearing a know-it-all expression as she brought me a cup of tea. “Didn't take our advice, did we?”