Till Death Do Us Bark (22 page)

“Okay,” said Viv, opening a drawer. She smacked a bottle on the counter. “Here you go. I’d take three, just in case.”

Ellie did as she suggested, brushed her teeth, and hobbled into the bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower. Come in and get me if I’m not out in ten minutes.” She dug underwear from a drawer. Rudy jumped off the bed and followed her into the bathroom. Setting the bra and panties down, she turned on the shower and waited for the jets to steam the stall.

“I think so. But if I’m not, go get Vivie, would you?”

He dropped onto his favorite rug and stood guard.
“Sure thing. But take it easy. You got all day to line up what happened last night to the murder.”

She stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over her, melting her misery under the stinging spray. Scrubbing with a loofa, she rubbed away all the aches and pains and pretended they’d never been there. Then she carefully washed her hair, keeping her hands off the lump.

Outside the stall, she dried off and slipped on her panties and bra. Then she used a blow dryer and finger-combed her curls until they were springy. Heaving a huge sigh, she stood tall and went into the bedroom.

Stretching out on the chaise, Ellie reached for her drink, a glass of plain iced tea with a sprig of mint and a slice of lemon. After taking a sip, she basked in the salty breeze and scanned the shaded terrace. Rosa had gently attached another butterfly splint to the small gash on her forehead, and given her a second dose of ibuprofen. She was comfortable and pain free.

She’d tried to get Rosa to talk further about
el doctor
and the night of the murder, but the housekeeper had pleaded busy the first several times Ellie had broached the subject, which made her realize there was no use making Rosa, who was stressed, discuss something so painful. Maria, Teresa, and Julio became her next targets, though she hadn’t seen any one of them since she’d settled on the deck.

At the sound of footsteps, she focused on the stairs. Viv’s head appeared, then the rest of her, dressed in a tiny yellow bikini. When she hit the terrace floor, she dropped her tote bag on the table and pulled on her cover-up, a one-piece long-sleeved T-shirt that fell to midthigh.

“You’re awake,” said Viv. “That’s a good sign.”

Ellie envied her best friend’s golden bronze skin. She’d acquired a bit of color after the tanning debacle, too. The pale brown of her skin was better than traffic cone orange, but the iris purple of her face sort of put a damper on the tan. “I see you got a little more sun,” she said to Viv, trying to keep the envy from her voice. “You look great. Just like you’re supposed to after a summer vacation in the Hamptons . . . unlike me.”

Viv eyed her and shrugged. “Don’t be so down on yourself. The purple will fade in a couple of weeks, and the lump’s already smaller. We’ll sit on the beach again tomorrow, and you’ll get a bit more of a ‘back from vacation’ glow, too.”

“I’m not worried about the lack of a tan, but Sam’s going to go bananas when he sees my face. I’ve been trying to come up with a story, but I’m a terrible liar. So far I haven’t thought of anything I can say that he’ll believe.” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the lounge chair. “What time is it?”

“Hang on a second. I’ll check.” Viv went through the kitchen door and returned a few minutes later with her own glass of iced tea. “It’s five thirty, and Rosa’s cooking. She said it’s something soothing to help energize your system—Arlene’s, too.”

Rosa had clucked over her from the moment Ellie had taken position on the lounger. Like a perfect mother hen, the housekeeper had delivered iced tea, a midafternoon snack, and a pillow for her head. She’d even brought Myron inside so his squawking wouldn’t disturb Ellie while she slept.

“Rosa’s been a doll through all of this. What’s up with Tomas? I tried to ask her about the bail hearing, but she clammed up whenever I opened the topic today.”

“Terry and Maria took over her chores while you were asleep this morning so Rosa, Julio, and Arlene’s attorney could meet at the courthouse. The boy is home, thanks to Arlene, who put up a bond. It was half a million. Can you believe that?”

“Wow. Did they give a reason for the huge amount?”

Viv carried a chair to the chaise and took a seat. “Rosa finally told Arlene that her son had a record, which is why they got his prints off the knife so fast. It was penny-ante stuff, but he’s been hanging with a gang. The DA argued that he was a flight risk, thus the outrageous amount.”

“And Arlene didn’t care?”

“Far as I know, she told the attorney to do whatever was necessary to free the kid. He’s home right now, helping his father with the landscaping work around the guest cottage.”

“Then Julio’s back. You’ve seen him?”

“Yep. I guess he’s the next person you want to talk to about the night of the murder, huh?”

Ellie reached into her tote, pulled out her spiral notepad, and flipped the pages until she arrived at the blank sheet with Julio’s name at the top. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but I have to question him. Did he mention where he’s been for the past twenty-four hours?”

“Sort of.” Viv took a long swallow of tea. “Arlene said Rosa told her he’d been in church, praying for his son, but that really wouldn’t account for the entire time.”

“I doubt it. Has Wheeling been around?”

“He was over this morning. Told Arlene they were releasing the doc’s body to her because Kent’s brother called and told them he was in the process of sending a letter of release giving Arlene full control. Needless to say, she’s in a tizzy. Says she and Martin discussed a will, but never got one on paper. It’s not only his body. He owns two cars, a huge boat, and office furniture and equipment. She tried the brother herself, with no luck, so she’s having the doc cremated as soon as the letter arrives.”

Fingers crossed, Ellie asked, “Is she planning a memorial?”

“I guess so. Why?”

“Because—well—I think his killer was someone here at the party that night. And everybody who was here said they’d come to a memorial, if one was held.”

“It’s possible. Wheeling says they’ve done a thorough check of the patients listed in the doc’s appointment book, and they all had a decent alibi for the night of the party. And here’s a bit of news.” Viv lowered her voice. “Mr. Bond finally told the detective that he’d broken into the crime scene the night of the murder and heard Kent arguing with someone.”

“Really?” Ellie bit her lower lip. “Did he say anything about you and me doing the same thing while the crime scene tape was up? And when did he say it?”

“After the burglary, when they went over who might have sneaked inside and why.”

Ellie cocked her head. “You still haven’t said. Did Jim cover for us, or did he squeal?”

Viv
tsk
ed. “You’re starting to sound like a character in one of those ancient Humphrey Bogart movies. No, he didn’t ‘squeal.’ He kept us out of it.” She smirked. “He likes you.”

“Now you’re starting to sound like a fifth grader.” She sighed. “I only hope Wheeling never hears that we broke into the doc’s office the same night Jim did.”

“As long as Agent Bond keeps quiet, I don’t see how he’ll find out.”

“Too bad we ran into him there. I really would have liked to check out Kent’s office early on after the murder, instead of two days later. And I still wish Rosa would give me a better explanation of where Julio’s been and what he’s been doing. Maybe she doesn’t know her son or her husband as well as she thinks she does.”

“I still buy your explanation. Tomas was the first person to argue with the doc, but he ran, and the real killer was lying in wait. And don’t worry. I didn’t say anything to Arlene about us crossing the tape, either. I figured it would just open up a whole new can of worms.” She straightened in her chair. “See, I’m getting the hang of things. Following in your footsteps as a private investigator.”

Ellie’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe we should both go back to being ordinary citizens. I’m worried that things could get more violent than they did last night.”

“I don’t give a fig about the violence. Rosa is distraught over her son’s arrest, and Arlene is still coming to grips with Dr. Kent’s illegal practices. Which means they need our help.”

“When do you think we should clue her in about the painting?”

Viv ran a hand through her long dark hair, then pushed her pair of twenty-dollar sunglasses to the top of her head. “I’ve run it through my brain, and I don’t know what to do. If Arlene blows her cork and confronts Adrianne, it might start ‘the great catfight of 2012.’ And Mother is going to flip, too.”

“I asked Adrianne about it last night when I had her in my clutches,” Ellie confessed. “It didn’t seem to bother her a bit that we knew about the portrait.”

“Sounds like Adrianne. Did you press her about seeing or hearing anything while she was resting during the party?”

“Sure did. She claims she didn’t hear a thing.”

“Do you believe her?”

“Now that I’ve gotten a better read on her? No.”

Viv’s green eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God. Do you think she killed Dr. Kent?”

Ellie blew out a breath. “I don’t want to think it.” Viv and her family would be gossip fodder for the scandal sheets for sure if word got out that the middle sister of a local resident killed her older sister’s fiancé. It was bad enough drugs were involved. With the sleaze element, every newspaper in town and every TV tell-all program would jump on the story, and the entire McCready family would be dragged into the middle of the mess. “I just can’t imagine her being strong enough to knock a well-built, six-foot-tall man backward like the killer did.”

“I agree. Adrianne is a brat, but she doesn’t have the strength to push that hard. But she did take a martial arts course to ‘strengthen her inner core,’ as she puts it.” Viv shook her head. “And what about a motive?”

“They could always say that when the doc told her their affair was over, she wanted to get back at him.”

“It’s possible, but that’s not Adrianne’s MO. She would have slashed Kent’s tires or keyed his Mercedes, maybe even trashed his office before she’d get that physical.”

Ellie set her iced tea on the side table. “I don’t think we need to spell anything out to Arlene. Once she sees the painting, she’ll figure out the affair for herself.”

“You’re probably right. She needs to know everything.”

“Then we’ll tell her tonight?”

“Uh, okay.”

“Without your mother, father, or Adrianne present.”

“That might be difficult.”

“We can wait until they go to the cottage.”

Viv leaned forward in the chair. “But you’ll be with me when I do it, right?”

Ellie put herself in Viv’s shoes before she answered. If she was attempting to rebond with her big sister, this could be an important step. “Not a problem. I’ll give moral support and sensible reasoning if you need it.”

 

Dinner that night was a choice of warm crab chowder or chilled gazpacho, a wonderful tossed salad, and crusty, fresh-from-the-oven bread. Ellie ate her fill, then sat back and watched the McCready family dynamics at work. To her mind, except for Adrianne, they were getting along more like a caring unit than an angry group of folks who just happened to be related.

“How are you feeling, Ellie?” Viv’s mother asked for the fifth time that night.

“Awwwk! Feelings. Oh-oh-oh, feelings!”
squawked Myron.
“I feel a headache coming on. Awwwk!”

“I’m fine,” said Ellie, ignoring the idiotic bird Arlene had returned to the terrace. “I just have to be careful about touching my temple. It’s no big deal.”

Arlene stood and pulled an M&M from her pocket. “Give me a minute. This should calm him down.”

Myron grabbed the candy in his claw, brought it to his beak, and began to eat.

“He’s so much more agreeable once he has his favorite snack.” Arlene returned to the table. “Now, where were we?”

Evan McCready had kept his gaze trained on Ellie almost the entire evening, and she imagined it was because of her charming purple face. Now he said, “I may have been a bit gruff with you when this whole mess started, my girl, but you’ve won me over. I should have said this earlier. You were very brave last night, confronting that burglar.”

Wow,
thought Ellie. High praise coming from a man who had sneered and growled at everything and everyone just a few days ago. “Thanks for saying so, Mr. McCready, but I really haven’t done much yet.”

“Nonsense,” said Vanessa. “You stopped that man in the midst of a robbery. If you’d hit that table any harder, you might have more to worry about than a cut and a bruise. You could have been killed.”