Vi Agra Falls (19 page)

“I'll give the Rankerses' address,” Renie murmured. “Then I'll divert them here.” She hurried into the kitchen to make the call.

“Hallo!” called a voice from the entry hall. Judith swerved around to see who was there.

“Adelita,” she said, keeping her composure. “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” the young woman replied. “Mrs. Buss would like very much to borrow your blender. Hers is broken.”

Judith had a feeling that if she loaned her blender to Vivian, it would never be returned. “Oh, darn!” she exclaimed, standing directly in front of Adelita to prevent her from seeing what was going on in the living room. “Mine broke, too. It must be contagious.”

Adelita's expression was skeptical. “Pardon?”

Judith lifted her hands in a helpless gesture. “My blender's motor must've gone out. It doesn't work. I'm so sorry.”

“Do you have a mixer?” Adelita inquired.

“You mean an electric one?” Judith saw Adelita nod. “Oddly enough, that went out on me, too. Both the hand mixer and the big freestanding one. Maybe it's a fuse.”

Adelita was inching her way forward. “An eggbeater, perhaps?”

Renie had come into the entry hall. Judith turned to her cousin and winked. “Did you ever bring back my eggbeater?”

“Your eggbeater?” For a brief moment, Renie looked blank. “Oh!
That
eggbeater! No, I forgot. Sorry.”

Adelita had managed to worm her way almost to the living room's arched entrance. “Isn't there more than one eggbeater?”

Behind Adelita, a medic van was arriving. Mercifully, the EMTs hadn't turned on their siren or flashing lights.

“Yes,” Judith said, taking Adelita by the arm. “Let's see if we can find it.” She hustled her visitor into the kitchen while Renie went outside to direct the emergency personnel. “Let me see,” Judith murmured, tapping her cheek and gazing every which way. Voices could be heard from the entry hall. The only one she recognized belonged to Renie.

“The pantry, maybe. Let's look.” Judith led Adelita down the hall. “Now, where would I have put that older one?”

Adelita's attention seemed distracted by the sounds coming from the front part of the house. “What is happening? Is there trouble here?”

“Trouble?” Judith purposefully turned around so fast that she knocked several cans off of the shelf. “Oh, drat! Could you help me pick up these cans? I have an artificial hip and can't bend over.”

Adelita's dark eyes flashed. “I am not a maid! I am an assistant!” She whirled around and ran off down the hall.

Frustrated, Judith gently nudged the cans with her foot to keep them from rolling toward the basement stairs. A century of earthquakes had taken their toll on the old house. Floors sloped, doorways were uneven, and windows were crooked. At the moment, Judith felt she, too, was damaged by time and circumstances.

When she reached the entry hall, Renie was shoving Adelita out through the front door. “Nothing to see here!” Renie shouted, with one last push, and slammed the door behind Adelita before turning to Judith. “What was that all about?”

“I'm not sure,” Judith replied. “Adelita wasn't really interested in blenders or eggbeaters. What's going on with Frankie?”

“I don't know,” Renie replied. “They're working on him. As usual, the emergency folks seemed to be parked close by.”

Judith sighed. “I guess that's to be expected. Would you mind going upstairs to Room Five and telling Marva Lou about her husband?”

“Sure.” Renie hurried up the stairs. Judith went into the living room, where the brothers from Virginia had joined the rest of the guests—and the EMTs. For once, Judith didn't recognize any of the medical personnel. Somehow, that was a relief. She didn't need any more snide comments about her propensity for disasters.

A woman with short blond hair seemed to be in charge. Judith noted that her name tag identified her as Roxanne Sundberg. She was talking to the groom as his bride sidled up to Judith.

“It may be an allergic reaction,” she said. “They're taking him to the hospital. I wonder if Jake should go with them.”

“That's up to the EMTs,” Judith said, watching as Frankie was placed on a gurney. “I'm sure that Mr. Buss will receive excellent care. If anybody should go along, it ought to be his wife.”

“Where is she?” Ashley inquired.

“My cousin is getting her now,” Judith said. “Mrs. Buss has been…resting in their room.”

“Oh.” Ashley nodded. “Yes, you're right. That'd be best.”

Judith and Ashley moved out of the way as two male EMTs pushed the gurney through the living room and into the entry hall. Roxanne Sundberg followed, but stopped when she reached Judith. “Dr. Kerr just told me you own this B&B. Mrs. Flynn, I believe?”

“Yes. You think it's allergies?”

“We can't be sure,” Roxanne replied, “but it's possible. I understand his wife is here. Does she know what's happened?”

“My cousin is bringing her downstairs right now,” Judith replied. “In fact, here she comes.”

Roxanne turned toward the staircase. “Mrs. Buss?”

“No,” Renie replied. “I can't wake up Frankie's wife. Have you got a gurney for two?”

W
hat?” Judith cried.

“You heard me,” Renie said, reaching the entry hall. “Marva Lou's passed out, just like Frankie. It's a good thing she didn't lock the door.”

Roxanne was already on her cell, summoning more help. “I've got an ambulance on the way,” she announced, clicking off the phone. “They should be here in less than five minutes. I'll take a quick look while Mr. Buss is being put into the van. Show me the way.”

Renie started back up the stairs. “Stay put,” she called to Judith. “You look worn out.”

“I am,” Judith muttered, “but I have to see what's going on.” She followed Roxanne, but didn't force herself to hurry. Her brain was full of questions, none of them pleasant. Allergies? Food poisoning? Some weird strain of virus? Or…Judith didn't want to consider another possibility. Not yet, anyway.

Marva Lou Buss was lying motionless on the bed. The liquor bottle she'd taken from the washstand in the dining room was almost half empty. Judith and Renie both remained in the doorway to Room Five while Roxanne checked Marva Lou's vital signs.

“You're right,” she said grimly. “Her condition seems similar
to her husband's. Do you know what they ate or drank in the last few hours?”

“He had brandy, and Mrs. Buss had bourbon,” Judith replied, pointing to the bottle on the nightstand. “The bourbon hadn't yet been opened. The brandy bottle was over half full. I have no idea what or where they ate after they had breakfast.”

Roxanne's expression was somber. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Judith insisted. “Mr. and Mrs. Buss were gone most of the day. They have relatives two doors down on the west side of the cul-de-sac, a Mr. and Mrs. Billy Buss. I know they were there at some time today because Mrs. Buss mentioned it.”

“All right.” Roxanne started toward the stairs. “Stay here until the ambulance arrives. I'll alert Dr. Kerr before I leave with Mr. Buss. Both of the victims will be taken to Bayview Hospital.”

“I know the drill,” Judith murmured. “Roxanne's new around here,” she said to Renie. “She avoided calling me a herald of doom.”

“True,” Renie conceded, “but she's smart. I get the impression that Roxanne figures this isn't an ordinary emergency. She's suspicious.”

“Not of me, I hope,” Judith said, glancing at her watch. “Good grief! I forgot to feed Mother! Can you wait here while I fix something before she pitches a five-star fit?”

“Sure,” Renie said, motioning for Judith to go.

Taking the back stairs, Judith went into the kitchen, took a frozen TV dinner out of the fridge, and popped it in the microwave. Fortunately, Gertrude liked some of the ready-made entrees, often insisting they tasted better than her daughter's home cooking.

While Judith waited for the food to cook, she went out to the entry hall. There was no sign of the ambulance yet, but the medic van was pulling away. From the living room, she heard the sounds of animated chatter from her guests.

“Excuse me,” she said loudly, standing under the arch. “Mr. and Mrs. Buss are suffering from an illness with similar symptoms, possibly an allergic reaction or even food poisoning. Did any of you speak to them today about their plans? It might be helpful if we knew where they'd spent their time after leaving here this morning.”

The twins looked blank. The honeymooners shook their heads. The Californians exchanged glances.

“Just saw them briefly this morning,” Bob, the former Army medic, said. “Asked if they were enjoying their visit. They acted grumpy.”

“Not a very friendly couple,” his wife put in. “I thought she mentioned something about this not being a vacation so much as work.”

Judith nodded. “They have family nearby. Sometimes visiting relatives can be stressful.”
And deadly,
she thought. “I assure all of you that whatever caused their illness didn't occur here at Hillside Manor. They ate the same breakfast that you had, and I assume none of you are ill.” Judith paused for a response. The little group agreed that they felt fine. “Good,” Judith said with a smile. “I'm sorry for this disruption.”

“Oh, no,” the other California wife said with a big smile. “It's kind of exciting, a real icebreaker.” She beamed at the other guests. “Isn't that so, folks? It gives us something to talk about. Especially,” she added, winking at the newlyweds, “the dead body in the neighbors' yard.”

“Uh…yes,” Judith said, feeling the need to fib a bit. “Very unfortunate, very unusual around here.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I think the ambulance is here for Mrs. Buss. Excuse me.”

Not only had the ambulance arrived, but so had Caitlin, complete with three pieces of luggage.

“What's happening?” she asked. “Is someone sick?”

“I'm afraid so,” Judith admitted, ushering Caitlin inside and away from the ambulance attendants' path. “Billy's brother and his wife are quite ill.”

“Oh, no!” Caitlin exclaimed. “Should I tell Mom and Billy?”

“Yes.” Judith paused as a gurney was brought up the front steps. “They'll have to know. Did your mother mention if Frankie and Marva Lou had anything to eat or drink at their house today?”

Caitlin shook her head. “Mom just said that Marva Lou had a nasty tongue, and Frankie whined all the time. Where shall I put my luggage? After I do that, I'll go back to Mom's.”

“It's Room One,” Judith said, hurriedly giving Caitlin her keys.

Unfortunately, Judith recognized one of the ambulance attendants from a previous disaster. The burly man with the blond buzz cut snickered as he passed her in the entry hall. “You got a twofer this time, Mrs. Flynn. Maybe someday we can fix up an old bus just for your guests and haul away a couple of dozen victims all at once. You're not thinking about opening a hotel, are you? If you do, give us some advance warning, okay?”

Judith glared at him before going out to the kitchen to rescue her mother's TV dinner. The timer had just gone off. Renie could handle any details concerning the latest catastrophe.

Opening the toolshed's door and seeing Gertrude sitting at the card table playing solitaire somehow comforted Judith. “You're late,” the old lady snapped.

Even the reprimand felt reassuring. The world around her might be going to hell in a handcart, but Gertrude Grover remained a fixture, a human lighthouse promising some kind of safe harbor—no matter how rough her tongue might be.

“A couple of guests got sick,” Judith said. “You have Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans. There's pudding for dessert.”

Gertrude studied the food. “Good. You didn't cook it yourself. Did those guests get sick from your egg mess with the pieces of dried-up fish and toadstools in it?”

“That omelet recipe has smoked salmon and portobello mushrooms,” Judith said. “My guests love it, but I didn't make it today.”

“Maybe it was your French toast,” Gertrude said, cutting her Salisbury steak. “You could use it as carpeting, and then the waffles with fruit—”

“Mother,” Judith broke in, “I'm kind of tired this evening. And it's still hot. You didn't find your ring, by any chance, did you?”

“No.” Gertrude made a face. “Maybe you cooked it in one of your conglomerations. Whoever ate it wouldn't know the difference.”

“If it was stolen,” Judith said, “I should call our insurance agent.”

“It wasn't,” Gertrude replied stubbornly. “I lost it, that's all.”

Judith scrutinized the old lady's mulish expression as she added salt and pepper to her mashed potatoes. “Did your visitor take it?”

Gertrude looked up. “Vivian? Don't be so dumb. She's rich now. Done real well for herself. She can buy all the rings she wants and wear 'em in her nose if she feels like it.”

“Okay, so it wasn't Vivian,” Judith agreed. “But what about Flora Bunda? Who is she?”

“Who she said she is,” Gertrude said, stabbing a couple of green beans with her fork. “Now beat it, and leave me in peace.”

Judith sat on the davenport's arm. “Please. A man has been killed. Nobody knows who he is or who killed him. You're fond of Vivian, and since the body was found in her backyard, she's bound to be a suspect. You'd be glad to help her, wouldn't you?”

“I
am
helping her,” Gertrude replied, darting her daughter an obdurate look. “Let me enjoy my supper.”

It was useless to badger Gertrude. Once her mother's mind was made up, the devil himself couldn't change it. It was only after she got back inside the house that Judith wondered what Gertrude had meant about helping Vivian.

“The second patient has been carted off,” Renie announced when Judith entered the kitchen. “The guests are having such a good time yakking about the calamities that the social hour is being extended.”

“Great,” Judith muttered. “They'll go home and tell everybody they know that I'm a magnet for death and near-death experiences.”

“You are, actually,” Renie replied. “But they don't seem scared or upset. Californians are very resilient. So are Alaskans, in a different way. Those twins from Virginia are engineers. They're taking the situation as a puzzle they could solve.”

“Good,” Judith retorted, picking up her glass of Scotch and noting that the ice had melted. “They can take over the case so I can back off.”

“That won't work,” Renie said, searching through Judith's freezer compartment. “Mavis called. She wants breaking news for her eleven o'clock broadcast. What are we eating? Steak? Chicken? Oh—you've got those big prawns. Yummy! Want me to do tempura?”

“Whoa!” Judith cried. “What does Mavis mean? I don't know anything.”

“Neither does she,” Renie replied, unwrapping the prawns. “That's the problem. According to her, the detectives are slow but not necessarily sure. They don't know you're FATSO, by the way. I mean,” Renie said hastily, “
FASTO
. No sign of the missing body, nothing new to report. The five o'clock anchor had to bury the story with some mumbo-jumbo about the
police continuing their investigation and following up leads. Mavis says that's guff. They don't have any leads.”

Judith sighed. “Neither do I. In fact, I think Mother knows more about what's going on than I do.”

Holding an onion in one hand, a yellow bell pepper in the other, Renie stared at her cousin. “You're serious.”

“I am. She told me she was helping Vivian—maybe an allusion to the stripper.” Judith opened the cupboard to take out a box of tempura mix and a jar of cooking oil. “Why would Herself protect Flora Bunda?”

“I can tell you that,” said a voice from the dining room. Caitlin walked into the kitchen. “That's the name my half-sister, Terri, went by in her days as an exotic dancer.”

“Terri?” Judith frowned. “Oh!” Her memory kicked into high gear. “Johnny Agra's daughter! She was a…whatever?”

Caitlin nodded. “She's much older. I lost track of her long ago. As a kid, I was impressed when Mom talked about Terri's show business career—until I found out it involved taking off her clothes.”

“So,” Judith said in a thoughtful tone, “Terri must be—how old?”

Caitlin considered the question. “Mid to late forties?”

“A little long in the tooth and droopy in the whatevers,” Renie murmured. She held up her cocktail glass. “Want a refill on that wine?”

“Yes,” Caitlin said. “I never finished the original.” She turned back to Judith. “I told Mom about Frankie and Marva Lou.”

“And?” Judith inquired.

Caitlin shrugged. “Mom's kind of foggy this time of day. Billy seemed more upset. He mentioned checking with the hospital later on to see if they're okay.” She paused to accept a fresh glass of wine from Renie. “I asked what they'd had to eat or drink while they were at Mom's. The only thing, according to
Billy, was a drink or two. Marva Lou had some bourbon, and Frankie had a couple of beers straight from the can.” Caitlin regarded Judith with an incredulous expression. “Do you really think someone poisoned them?”

“I don't know,” Judith admitted. “We'll have to wait to hear what the doctors say. Maybe I should go upstairs to their room and see if I can find anything of interest.”

“Let me,” Renie volunteered. “You've climbed enough steps for one day.” She set her glass on the counter and headed for the back stairs.

Judith scanned the tempura mix directions and got some ice from the fridge to make sure the water for the batter was chilled. “Your mother didn't mention Terri, I take it.”

Caitlin shook her head. “She hasn't mentioned Terri in years. They were never close. Terri was Daddy's girl. Oddly enough, even though Terri and I had different fathers, we kind of look alike.”

Judith smiled. “Interesting. When my mother saw you today, she said she knew you—and then changed her mind. That's because Terri was hiding out in the toolshed yesterday.”

Caitlin's green eyes widened. “You're kidding! Why?”

“I'm not sure,” Judith replied, adding more ice to her cocktail and topping it with a half inch of Scotch. “My mother's explanation to Renie was convoluted. It had to do with Flora—I mean, Terri—getting trapped in your mom's basement. It doesn't make much sense.”

Caitlin sighed. “Not making sense is a way of life with Mom.”

Judith nodded. “That reminds me, did a man named Stokes call on your mother in the last hour or so?”

“Stokes?” Caitlin looked puzzled. “Not that I know of. Mom was lying down in her bedroom when I talked to her.”

“Her
bedroom?” Judith said.

“I got the impression she and Billy have separate bedrooms,” Caitlin replied. “That was why I couldn't stay there. Mom keeps such odd hours, and when she does sleep, she has to go through a big rigmarole with an eye mask and earplugs and a chin strap and I don't know what all before she actually settles down. Adelita must sleep in the basement. I assume there's a bedroom down there.”