Till Death Do Us Bark (2 page)

Viv’s driving expertise seemed to dry up once she jammed the car into third gear. After that, she’d screech to a stop and slam on the brakes and the clutch to avoid the ass end of a bus. Then she’d start all over again, grinding from first to second to third, braking to a stop, and receiving dirty looks from everyone on the street.

And forget about double-parked delivery vans or the valiant bicycle messengers. The side-view mirror on Ellie’s door had already whacked the mirror on a stretch limo and a cab, and they’d gotten so close to a bike rider, Ellie swore she’d seen his molars when he yelled out a threat.

“Watch out! That taxi’s stopping for a pickup,” she shouted, her voice hoarse from the warnings. If only Viv had taken her suggestion and rented a small and sensible automatic, they might actually arrive in the Hamptons in one piece. “And please depress the clutch
before
you hit the brake.”

“Leave my girl alone and let her do her thing,”
warned Mr. T from the backseat.
“She just needs a little practice.”

Vivian needs a “little” lobotomy,
thought Ellie, holding her tongue. Their dogs, as well as all the canines belonging to the guests invited to the wedding, had been encouraged to attend. And since her boyfriend, Dr. Dave, had to speak at a conference in San Diego, Viv had named Ellie her “plus one” and given her the opportunity to take her first real vacation in ten years.

“Okay. There’s the sign pointing to the tunnel entrance. Just a few more blocks,” Viv announced, shifting the BMW into jackrabbit mode. “The rental agent said this car was forgiving.” She hit the gas and eased ahead. “I guess we’re putting it to the test.”

Ellie had paid close attention to the five-minute clutch-shift-accelerate lesson they’d been given in the parking garage, but the high-powered BMW still scared the pants off her. She silently thanked the powersthat-be that they were almost out of Manhattan, where it was a direct shot to the farthest eastern city on Long Island.

After that, the drive would be a piece of cake.

“How about a quick stop on a nice grassy patch of lawn, Triple E?”
asked Rudy from the backseat.

“Yeah. My back teeth are floatin’,”
Mr. T joined in.

“I think we should take a break once we get to a rest stop,” said Ellie. They were due in Montauk for a six p.m. prewedding dinner celebration, and it was just after noon. “The boys probably need an out, and I’m starving.”

“Fine. We forgot water, so we can pick up a couple of bottles,” was Viv’s answer. “We should be through the worst of this traffic soon.”

Ellie blew out a breath as they drove into the tunnel and followed the lead car at a respectful distance. She didn’t mean to rain on her friend’s parade. Viv had received a promotion and a healthy raise a few months back, and she was determined to impress her difficult family. According to Viv, her parents, especially her father, were snobs, and her middle sister was a spoiled brat. If that wasn’t enough, she claimed the bride, the oldest of the three sisters, was an astrologer and a bit on the oddball side, sort of a younger version of Shirley MacLaine.

Viv had no idea how many guests were scheduled to attend the event, but she’d assured Ellie it would be, if not a blast, a very interesting week.

 

Several hours later, Ellie was still enthralled with the scenery as they traveled Route 27 east to Montauk. The traffic had been worse than Manhattan at rush hour, so they’d stopped in a half dozen small towns for short breaks. Each city had a water view and quaint shops and eateries, as well as a soupçon more of an elitist attitude than she found on the Upper East Side.

Now, on the final leg of their journey, they veered onto Old Montauk Highway and began reading house numbers, but she found it difficult to stay focused on mailboxes when the homes, more like mini-mansions, took her breath away.

When Viv downshifted and turned into a secluded driveway, Ellie gasped as she gazed at the enormous two-story weathered cedar-shingle building that sat on at least two acres of rolling lawn. Besides the circular drive holding two hardtop Mercedeses, a Mercedes convertible, a Jaguar, and a Rolls-Royce, there was still a four-car attached garage on the right and a two-story wing on the left. Beyond the house, and closer to the ocean, looked to be the charming double-decker guest cottage Viv had mentioned, with its own parking area filled with more cars.

“Wow,” Ellie muttered as they jerked to a stop. “This is some summer house.”

“It is when you compare it to the house next door. That one belonged to Bernie Madoff until it was seized by the government to help reimburse his bamboozled customers. My sister’s house is comfortable inside, and a tiny bit offbeat, just like Arlene. It was already spectacular when she moved here with Myron, but she added a few touches to make it her own. Myron was a nice old guy, a lot like Judge Stanley, only way more wealthy.”

Ellie swallowed hard. More wealthy than her stepfather? It boggled the mind. “How many times did you meet Myron?”

“Two, maybe three times. The last was about five years ago, when Mom and Dad held a New Year’s party, and his funeral, of course.” She gave a huge sigh. “God, I’m glad we’re here. I’ll need a day to recuperate before I get behind the wheel again.”

“Me, too,”
Rudy yipped from the backseat.
“Can we take a helicopter home?”

“That goes ditto for me,”
said Mr. T.
“I love Vivie, but I’ve changed my opinion of her drivin’. I’d rather be a thousand feet in the air with a pilot than in anything she’s steering.”

Ellie knew how the boys felt. Happy to be back on solid ground, she climbed out of the car and opened the back door to retrieve the dogs.

“Oh, Vivian! I can’t believe you’re here.”

She turned at the sound of a cheerful voice and saw a short woman with a sleek black bob running down the front porch steps. Arlene wore a huge grin as she raced to the car on stilettoed sandals, her bright red halter dress flying in the breeze.

“Vivie! It’s been too long,” Arlene cried, hugging her baby sister. After a set of air kisses, she gave Viv another hug. “I’m thrilled you’re here for the celebration.” Spinning in place, she continued to grin. “And you must be Ellie, Vivie’s plus one, and her dearest friend.” They shook hands. “I hear you’re a dog person, too, so we’re going to get along great.”

“I hope so. It’s nice to—”

“Ooh, look at these doll babies.” Arlene stooped and grabbed Mr. T’s muzzle. “Hello, Twink. Do you remember me? I’m your auntie Arlene.”

“And you can call me Auntie Arlene, too.” She clasped Rudy to her ample chest. “Oh, you’re a cuddly one, aren’t you?”

“Aargghhh! I can’t breathe,”
Rudy yelped as she continued to snuggle him to her bosom.

Still smiling, Arlene stood. “They are so adorable. I know they’ll have fun with my babies and the rest of the pack. There are about six dogs in the fenced area I set up in the backyard, but I’m expecting more. You can take them there as soon as you’re settled.” She sidestepped to the trunk, where Viv was wrestling with the bags. “Now, Vivie, I have someone who can do that for you.” She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Julio! Julio, where are you?”

Ellie held on to the dogs’ leashes, exhausted by Arlene’s frenetic chatter. The bubbly woman was either experiencing an adrenaline rush from seeing her youngest sister for the first time in months, or panicked about hosting her weekend wedding.

Arlene gazed into the trunk and grabbed the smallest bag. “Oh, this is lovely. Louis Vuitton does such a beautiful job.”

Viv just shook her head and let Arlene continue.

“Julio? Julio! Where is that man?” After stomping her Ferragamos, Arlene scrunched her face. “We have to get out of this sun. I can’t afford any more wrinkles. Just carry what you need and leave the trunk open. Julio will bring everything inside and up to your room.”

“Where’re Mom and Dad and the rest of the family?” Viv asked before Arlene could leave.

She waved a manicured hand toward the cottage. “In the guesthouse with Adrianne. They decided to throw a little afternoon get-together to keep whoever is staying here busy while I took care of things in the house.”

“And Dr. Kent?”

“He’s still seeing patients. The man is so busy, I have to remind him we’re getting married tomorrow.” Arlene stared at the main house. “Julio! I need you!”

“What about the rest of the guests?” asked Ellie, hoping to calm down the bride-to-be. She was dying to find out how many people had been invited and what kind of dogs they owned.

“I booked a floor at the Montauk Manor. They’re dog-friendly, and it’s just down the road. The group is scheduled for a round of golf or spa treatments for today, and the hotel van will bring those who didn’t drive over tonight, and again tomorrow afternoon.” She heaved a breath. “I just don’t know how I’m going to get everything done.”

“But I thought you hired a wedding planner,” said Viv.

“I did, but she was a disaster. Ran out on me yesterday without a word. Thank God Rosa’s daughters have pitched in or I don’t know where I’d be.”

“And the caterer?”

“Mario and his men will be here in an hour. Rosa’s in charge of the terrace and they’re taking care of the backyard. Wait until you see the tent they erected. It’s beautiful.”

“Can’t Mother and Adrianne help with the details?”

“Those sticks-in-the-mud? Absolutely not.” Arlene headed for the front door. “Julio! Julio! Where is that—”

“I’m tired just watching her,” Ellie said as Arlene stalked off, talking to the air.

“She’s always been a ditz, but it appears this weekend has her running in circles. I can’t believe the wedding planner quit just like that.”

After watching Viv’s sister, Ellie was on the planner’s side, but she kept the comment to herself. She’d only been in Arlene’s presence for ten minutes and she felt as if she’d run a marathon.

Viv hoisted her shoulder bag and walked toward the front porch. “You coming?”

“Let me take the dogs for a quick trip outside first,” Ellie called, leading the boys to the street.

“That woman has a couple of screws loose,”
said Rudy, lifting his leg against the base of the mailbox.

“No kiddin’,”
grumped T.
“I can’t believe we’re related.”

“Related?” Ellie hid a smile.

“Auntie Arlene?”
Rudy muttered.
“I don’t want an auntie anybody.”

“Me, neither,”
T agreed.

After the dogs did their business, she pulled her scoop bags from her tote. It wouldn’t hurt to be a concerned pet owner, even if this neighborhood didn’t have a cleanup law.

Just then, her cell phone rang. When she checked caller ID, she grinned. Sam had asked her to call him as soon as they arrived. His ESP was working at full throttle. “Hi. Are you through with your afternoon in court?”

“Yes, and I’m happy to add that my testimony put the mope and his attorney on the run,” said Sam, a trace of swagger in his voice. “Right after the defense attorney questioned me, he asked for a continuance. Seems he didn’t like what I had to say about his boy.”

“Then congratulations are in order. We can celebrate when I get home.” Things had been going well since stalwart Detective Sam Ryder had moved into her place two months ago. “We’re here, by the way, and it’s beautiful.”

“Glad to hear you arrived in one piece. So tell me, did Viv blow the clutch on that big-deal BMW?”

Ellie bit out a laugh. “It was slow going for a while, but once we made it to the highway, she got the hang of it.”

“Just be careful tooling around out there. I hear the cops ‘out east’ are tough on the speeding laws.”

“Like I said, I don’t intend to do any ‘tooling around.’ Vivie wanted that car, so she’s going to drive it. All Rudy and I want is peace and quiet, time on the beach, and a bit of sightseeing. Maybe some shopping, and we’ll be set.” She cleared her throat. She didn’t want to sound like his mother, but . . . “Any plans for tonight?”

“I’m going home and eating in. I’ll be thinking about you, babe. You’ll call if you need me, right?”

The longing in his voice made her heart melt. Her big brave NYPD homicide detective rarely said the words, but he told her he loved her in a lot of little ways. “I’ll call. And, Sam?”

“I’m still here.”

“I’ll be thinking of you, too.” She snapped the phone closed and tucked it away in her bag. Knowing that Sam would miss her was sweet, because she was going to—

“All right already. Enough with the mushy stuff. Get us inside,”
ordered Rudy, pulling at his lead alongside Mr. T.

She dug in her heels to stop being dragged up the driveway. “Hang on a second. Remember those rules we talked about?”

“And be polite.”

“Polite is my middle name,”
her boy announced, prancing into the house.

“Me, too,”
said T.
“Unless some fool starts actin’ stupid. Then all bets are off.”

Inside, they were met by a short, middle-aged Hispanic man wearing a white jacket and black pants. “Welcome. I am Julio Suarez, Rosa’s
esposo
.”

“Hello. I’m a friend of Vivian, the bride’s sister.”

“I get your bags and bring them to your room. Miss Arlene, she say you go right at the top of the stairs and find her.”

He went out the door and Ellie led the dogs to the sweeping curved staircase, where she stopped to gaze at a lovely distressed oak table butted against a sky blue wall. Even though New York was a harbor town, and she’d visited the seaport and been to the beaches when she was younger, she’d never collected finds from the ocean. This week was her chance.

“Are we just gonna stand here, or are you gonna move it along?”
said a voice.