Book Clubbed (16 page)

“This sounds intriguing. I'll have to look into it.” She sighed. “But my first priority must be the Chamber. Dear Antonio has offered to have one of his staff take care of the Chamber's March breakfast, but I still have to give him an estimate of how many are coming. And then there's the monthly newsletter . . .”

“Virtual assistants do newsletters, too. I'll bet if you found one for yourself, they could also do Chamber work, too.”

“I don't know. I'd have to think about it. The Chamber really needs to have a real person who can deal with problems that arise. I think my best option is still to find a small office to rent and replace Betsy as soon as possible.”

Tricia nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind and I'll put out some feelers.”

“Thank you. Now, did Betsy's ex have anything juicy to say about her?”

Tricia shook her head. “You know, he was angry when we first started talking, but the more he spoke about her, the more he seemed . . . I don't know, regretful? He said at one time she was a dynamite lady.” Tricia sobered. “Somehow I just can't imagine Betsy as a real spitfire, but . . . I suppose anything's possible. Or was when she was younger.”

“Do you want another slice of pizza?” Angelica asked, taking one for herself.

Tricia shook her head. “I also went back to Betsy's house and managed to talk to one of her neighbors.”

“Did you learn anything of interest?”

“Only that, thanks to Betsy, the neighbors have a terrible mouse problem. She said after Jerry left, Betsy didn't bother with proper maintenance. She corroborated some of the things Joelle told me on Saturday. And, speaking of Joelle, the neighbor also said she's been back again and again, but she doesn't leave with anything other than her purse. Or at least
a
purse.”

“So what's she been doing there?” Angelica asked.

“Tidying?” Tricia suggested. “If the neighbor hadn't been watching me like a hawk, I might have walked around back to see if Joelle had lifted any of the blinds.” Tricia ate her last bite of pizza. “I have one piece of happy news for you.” Angelica's eyes lit up. “You are now officially on the guest list for Mr. Everett's surprise birthday party.”

“Oh, good. If I can't be out on a date with a rich, handsome, and kind man, then I'd just as soon be among my friends—and you, dear Tricia.”

“Thank you.” Tricia wiped her mouth with one of the paper napkins. “What time do we have to meet Karen?”

Angelica bit into her pizza and looked at the clock. She chewed and swallowed before answering. “In about fifteen minutes.”

“That soon?”

“Why, have you got something else planned for tonight?”

“Hardly,” Tricia said without enthusiasm. She noticed Miss Marple patiently waiting by the stairs that led to her loft apartment. “I've got to feed Miss Marple. By the time I'm finished, it should be time to leave.”

“No rush,” Angelica said and reached for a third slice of pizza.

Tricia got up from her chair, shaking her head. No doubt Angelica would soon be complaining about her weight again and Tricia would have no sympathy for her. And what if the little house proved unsuitable as office space? Would Angelica find solace in junk food and eat even more?

Tricia wasn't going to speculate.

Instead, she opened the door marked PRIVATE and headed up the stairs with Miss Marple trotting along beside her. If the house did meet Angelica's standards, and she indeed rented it for the Chamber of Commerce, it would no doubt annoy the hell out of Bob Kelly, and that at least made Tricia smile.

*   *   *

Since the
rental house was only two blocks up the street, Tricia and Angelica elected to walk the short distance. They saw a car parked at the curb. As they approached, the engine died, and Karen Johnson got out. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Hi,” Tricia called.

“I hope you don't mind me bringing Tricia along,” Angelica said, and pulled her scarf just a little bit higher on her neck.

“Not at all. The more the merrier.” Karen joined the sisters on the sidewalk. She held a large flashlight in one hand, and picked through a set of keys with another.

“Oh, dear. Will we have to see the inside of the place by flashlight?” Angelica asked.

“Oh, no. Antonio called the power company and had all the utilities turned on. He came over earlier and got the furnace working so there should be heat and light, but I imagine it might take a few days for the house to warm up and thoroughly dry out.”

“Was there water damage?” Angelica asked, concerned.

“No, but Antonio said it felt damp. It's been shuttered for over a year. Overall he felt the property was in pretty good shape.”

“So you haven't seen it yet, either?” Tricia asked.

Karen shook her head. “Antonio told me there are still some boxes inside. The former owner had rented out the building for storage for the last couple of years, but the last tenant hadn't paid the rent in some time. They were contacted several times and asked to collect their belongings before the sale went through, but the owner never heard from her tenant again.”

“So who has to clean the place out?” Tricia asked.

“Tell us when we get inside,” Angelica complained. “I'm cold!”

“Follow me. The steps are icy. We'll use the ramp,” Karen said and led them around to the side of the building and the wooden ramp that had been cleared of snow. She unlocked the door, reached inside, and flipped a couple of light switches before allowing Tricia and Angelica to enter before her.

Karen hadn't been kidding when she'd said there were some boxes inside. The descriptor
some
was certainly an understatement. What must have once been a living room was stacked floor to ceiling with cartons.

“Now would be a good time to answer Tricia's question,” Angelica said, sounding apprehensive. “Who's going to empty this place?”

“Of course, NRA will clean the place before the Chamber takes possession. Antonio has already ordered a Dumpster to be delivered tomorrow. We'll take care of clearing the place out, and we'll also paint, and either replace the carpet or put down a new floor. It depends on what we find when we rip up the old stuff.”

Tricia gave her sister a skeptical look. “You can't be serious about renting this place.”

“I'm more than serious, I'm desperate,” Angelica said. She turned back to Karen. “Let's see the rest of the place.”

A short hall linked the living room to a bathroom, a closet, and a small bedroom. At the back of the house was a tiny kitchen, which was only big enough for a bistro table and four undersized chairs. The former tenant must have left them, but all the appliances were missing.

“There are two small bedrooms upstairs that could be used for storage,” Karen said hopefully.

“How much is it a month, and how long a lease does the Chamber need to sign?” Angelica asked.

“We'd like a year's lease. We can talk about the price when we get to my office.”

“Can you throw in a fridge and a microwave?” Angelica asked hopefully.

“We can talk about it,” Karen said, still sounding hopeful.

“That bathroom looks like it's in terrible shape,” Tricia said, trying to be helpful.

“We won't be bathing,” Angelica said.

“We'll make sure the plumbing works before you take possession,” Karen promised.

“Do you have the paperwork with you?” Angelica asked.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Then let's not bother to go back to the Brookview. We can hash it out right here.”

“Very good,” Karen said, sounding delighted.

Tricia gave her sister a penetrating glare. “I thought you weren't going to rush into signing a lease.”

“Once the place is cleared out, it should be adequate as a short-term solution.” She held her arm out, gesturing for Karen to sit.

Tricia shrugged. “While you negotiate, I'll just wander around the place. Maybe check out the upstairs bedrooms.”

Angelica wasn't listening. She grabbed a wad of paper towel from the roll that hung under the cabinet near the sink, dusted off one of the chairs, and sat down.

Tricia climbed the narrow stairway up to the darkened second floor. She fumbled for a light switch, found it, and flipped it. A dim bulb glowed at the top of the stairs. Like the floor below, the bedrooms were stacked with boxes and the floor was covered in dust. The ceiling sloped on both sides, which might have been perfect if the occupants had been children with twin beds. Had a happy family once dwelled within these walls? Tricia's bedroom in her parents' home had been the size of this house's entire second floor, and had been beautifully furnished and decorated. Still, she would have traded that to have felt loved and cherished by her mother.

Don't start down that road again,
Tricia warned herself. She hadn't dwelled on thoughts of her dead twin in days. She didn't want to think about the life he'd never had—depriving her of a happy childhood as well.

Between the bedrooms was a tiny, and dingy, bathroom with a miniscule triangular shower. In a house this small it must have seemed like a luxury to the previous inhabitants.

Turning off the light, Tricia headed back downstairs. Angelica and Karen were deep into negotiations by then, and Tricia wandered into the downstairs bedroom, found the light switch, and flipped it. The ceiling globe was missing, leaving a bare bulb in a socket. Whoever had lived in the house must have been a cheapskate. The bulb couldn't have been more than forty watts. Someone had left a metal crucifix hanging on the wall above where a bed might have gone and where there were now boxes and boxes of stuff stacked.

Tricia wandered back into the living room. The cartons weren't taped; they'd merely had their top flaps folded so that they interleaved. If the contents were going to be trashed anyway, Tricia figured she might as well open one of the boxes to see what was inside. She chose the top box of the shortest pile and pulled open the flaps. The carton was filled with old magazines, newspaper articles, and recipes clipped from food boxes and jars. She pawed through the contents and found an envelope that seemed to be stuffed with old receipts. She pulled out the wad of folded papers, shuffled through them, and froze when she saw the name of the recipient on the power company's monthly bill: Elizabeth Dittmeyer.

Tricia stared
at the name on the utility bill, unsure what she should do next. After a few moments it became obvious—look for more evidence that it was actually Betsy who'd been renting the house to store her treasures.

Tricia shuffled through the bills. Yes, all of them were for Betsy at her Milford address, and they were only two years old—long after the breakup of her marriage—so it wasn't surprising they were all in her name and not that of her ex.

So what happened? Had Betsy simply run out of space to store her junk and, since she had worked in Stoneham, approached the house's former owner about using it as a storage facility? Why hadn't she just rented a conventional self-store unit? There were plenty of them around. Or did she want her trash to be close to her workplace so she could visit it as need be? And why had she stopped paying the rent? From what Tricia had seen on her financial statements, Betsy had had plenty of money.

Tricia set the bills down and investigated the rest of the box. Paper, paper, and more paper. She closed the lid and moved the box to the floor, looking into the carton directly below it. It was filled with dirty stuffed animals. Had Betsy frequented tag sales in the area during her lunch hours and bought them all for small change? What had she intended to do with them? Clean them, find them loving homes with disadvantaged children during the holidays, or just keep them in case she needed the love and adoration of an inanimate object? It all seemed so sad and pointless.

Tricia opened a third box. Sitting on top of more magazines and newspaper clippings was a sealed fat #10 envelope with an equally fat red rubber band around it. It had probably come off a large bunch of celery from the Milford Shaw's grocery store. She edged her thumbnail under the loose end of the flap and ripped it open a couple of inches, then gasped and stared at the sight of the stack of bills inside. She ripped the envelope a little more and flipped through the money—all well-used fifty-dollar bills. There had to be at least a hundred of them.

Footsteps heralded Angelica and Karen's arrival into the home's overstuffed living room, and Tricia shoved the envelope into her coat pocket, trying not to look guilty.

“We've struck a deal,” Karen said, smiling broadly.

“Yes,” Angelia said with what sounded like resignation, “we have. The Chamber can move in as soon as the property is cleaned up. A week, two at the most.” She narrowed her gaze, studying Tricia's face. “And what have you been up to?”

“Nothing much. Just looking through some of these boxes.” She reached for the envelope of old receipts. “It seems Betsy Dittmeyer was the person renting storage space in the house.”

“Oh, no,” Angelica groaned. “Don't tell me you're going to report this to Chief Baker and that they'll impound the house.”

“I don't see how they can,” Karen said, sounding not quite sure of herself. “Our company bought the house and its contents.” She looked down at the briefcase in her hand. “Oh, darn. I left my purse in the kitchen. Excuse me, will you?”

“Of course,” Angelica said.

Tricia waited until Karen was out of earshot before speaking. “There's more, but I don't want to go into it with Karen here. We've got to get rid of her.”

Angelica shrugged. “I'll take care of it,” she whispered, and cleared her throat as Karen reappeared from the kitchen. “Wouldn't you agree, Trish?”

Tricia blinked, startled, then caught on. “Yes. Completely.”

Angelica turned to Karen. “Tricia has some marvelous ideas about how we should set up the Chamber offices. Do you mind if we hang around for a few minutes and discuss it? We've kept you here far too long, but if you'll leave the keys with me, I promise I'll get them back to you first thing in the morning,” Angelica said sweetly.

Karen looked unsure of herself, but then forced a smile. After all, the customer was always right. “Of course.” She fastened the buttons on her coat, and then fumbled in her pocket for the house keys, handing them to Angelica. “I'll say good night, then.”

“Good night,” the sisters chorused.

Angelica watched as Karen headed for the door. “I was thinking, perhaps I should have the Chamber's file cabinets spray-painted a nice shade of mauve.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” Tricia agreed enthusiastically.

The door closed and Angelica sobered. “This had better be good.”

“Not only did I find Betsy's old utility receipts, but I found this.” Tricia withdrew the envelope from her pocket and brandished it in front of Angelica.

“Good heavens,” Angelica cried and snatched the envelope. She flipped through the money. “There has to be at least five grand in here. Do you think Betsy was a counterfeiter?”

“Not a chance. Those aren't new bills. We know she was a hoarder. Looks like she hoarded her money, too—in cash.”

Angelica's eyes narrowed and her smile widened. “This will go a long way toward repaying the money Betsy stole from the Chamber.”

“You can't take that,” Tricia protested.

“You heard Karen. These boxes are considered trash. They're going to throw them in a Dumpster. You finding this envelope is no different than the Dumpster diving you did with Ginny and her friends a couple of years ago.”

“These boxes haven't yet been thrown out as trash. As of this moment, they still belong to Nigela Ricita Associates.”

Angelica opened her mouth to protest, but must have thought better of it. She sighed. “What do you suggest we do?”

“Call Antonio. He's the NRA representative here in Stoneham.”

“Of course, you're right.” Angelica opened her purse and took out her cell phone, hit the speed dial, and waited. “Antonio? It's Angelica.” She paused. “Angelica Miles. Head of the Chamber of Commerce. Owner of the Cookery—” She paused again. “Yes, that Angelica. You're hysterical, you know that?” she deadpanned.

While she explained the situation, Tricia dug through the box, looking for more cash. What could Betsy have been thinking when she stashed the money in the box? Had she forgotten she'd done so when she'd decided not to pay the rent on the house? Was it possible there was even more cash to be found?

Finally Angelica hung up. “He'll be here in ten minutes.”

It was almost seven o'clock. “I'll bet Ginny won't be thrilled by that.”

“It's in his company's best interests,” Angelica pointed out. “What should we do in the meantime?”

“Start looking through the rest of the boxes. Who knows what we might find.”

Angelica's expression soured. “I wish I'd brought a big bottle of hand sanitizer. If this stuff is as dirty as the crap in Betsy's house, we'll probably catch some dreadful—and lethal—disease.” She shrugged out of her coat. “Hand me your coat and hat and I'll put them in the kitchen. At least it's cleaner there than in here.”

Tricia handed over her coat and went back to work emptying the box.

A knock at the door came some ten or so minutes later, and Angelica opened it to admit not only Antonio, but Ginny, too. “Welcome to the treasure hunt,” Angelica said, sounding anything but enthusiastic.

“May I see the envelope of cash?” Antonio asked.

With reluctance, Angelica surrendered the envelope. The three women watched as Antonio counted the cash. “Five thousand dollars exactly,” he said, sounding astonished.

“There could be a lot more,” Tricia said.

“Or there could be nothing,” Ginny said, sounding discouraged as she took in the room and those beyond, all filled with boxes. “What are we going to do?”

“Betsy Dittmeyer stole from the Chamber of Commerce. They deserve to be the recipient of this windfall,” Angelica said.

“And what would Nigela Ricita have to say about that?” Tricia asked.

Antonio looked uncomfortable. He looked down at the cash in his hand, and then back to Angelica. “I will have to ask her. And that is the first thing I intend to do tomorrow morning.”

“And what do we do in the meantime?” Tricia asked.

Antonio sighed. “I think it would be prudent for us to go through all the boxes.”

“Us who?” Ginny asked, sounding appalled.

“I don't think we should tell anyone about this until we know what we're dealing with,” Angelica advised.

“The first thing you should probably do is talk to a lawyer. If nothing else, there might be some tax liability,” Tricia advised.

“I am not worried about paying taxes on a paltry five thousand dollars,” Antonio said, “though I agree in principle. But first, I will talk with Ms. Ricita.”

“I hope you were kidding about us going through all these boxes,” Ginny said, sounding resolute.

“No, I was not,” Antonio said. “There may be other valuables that can be sold. The cost of renovation will not be cheap. And Ms. Ricita has not decided what to do with the property yet.”

“She's renting it to me,” Angelica said firmly. “I just signed a one-year lease.”

“Yes,” Antonio said, nodding, “the plan was to leave it as is—with a few enhancements—for a short time, but ultimately the house will be razed and we will rebuild in much the same way we did for the Dog-Eared Page. In the long run, it will be a much more substantial investment.”

“Do I have to be part of this project?” Ginny asked resentfully.

“You
are
a member of the NRA team,” Angelica pointed out. After all, Nigela Ricita Associates owned the store Ginny managed.

Antonio's smile was beguiling. “I am sure our employer will reward you handsomely.”

“She'd better,” Ginny groused, then let out a resigned sigh. “Okay, what's the plan of attack?”

They all looked at Tricia for guidance.

“There's no way we can make a dent in this tonight—”

“I still think we should try,” Angelica said.

Ginny sighed. “We can't just dump it all on the floor. That would make sorting too difficult.”

“I could retrieve my car and go to the convenience store up by the highway and buy out all their heavy-duty trash bags,” Angelica said.

Antonio shook his head. “I would not feel comfortable letting you go on your own at this time of night.”

It wasn't all that late, Tricia reflected.

“If you ladies don't mind starting the work, I will get the trash bags and be back in fifteen minutes. With four of us going through the boxes, we may be able to clear out at least this living room tonight.” He looked hopefully at Tricia. “Are we in agreement?”

Never one to turn down a chance to dig for clues, and this time literally, she nodded.

Antonio kissed Ginny good-bye and took off.

“Where do we start?” Angelica asked.

“Let's section off the room,” Tricia said, taking charge.

“And how do we do that?” Ginny asked.

“We'll each work in a corner and dump an entire box. That would seem the easiest approach. Then we'll refill the boxes with whatever looks like salvageable material. Perhaps we can even donate some of it to various charities—like the Clothes Closet.”

Angelica and Ginny nodded, chose a corner, and set off to work.

Unfortunately, soon the piles of trash far outweighed the salvageable materials. As an irrational hoarder, Betsy collected the oddest array of what seemed to Tricia to be nothing more than junk—most of which was absolutely worthless. They soon came up with a system: stuff to be tossed, stuff that could be used again, and paper to be recycled.

Angelica was the first to come up with another envelope full of cash. This time it was only a hundred one-dollar bills—no more, no less. Did Betsy only save money in one-hundred-bill increments? Was the number one hundred somehow sacred to her?

By the time Antonio returned from the convenience store, the women had found envelopes full of fives and tens—again, each with one hundred bills.

“We have to keep looking,” Tricia said as Antonio scooped trash into the bags. Ginny used Angelica's author signing pen to mark the boxes with what to keep, sell, and recycle.

They worked silently—each of them concentrating on the task at hand. By midnight, they'd found $44,600 in cash and had nearly filled a large peanut butter jar (which Angelica had found under the kitchen sink) with loose change. And to think they'd only gone through what amounted to about a quarter of the boxes in the house.

Antonio leaned against one of the piles of boxes, his face drawn. “I can ask the employees at the Brookview Inn to volunteer to help us go through the rest of these boxes tomorrow,” he offered, but the women voted him down.

“It's not that I don't trust them,” Ginny said, “but why lead them to temptation?”

“I agree,” Angelica said. “It might take the four of us the rest of the week, but I think we can do this more efficiently. That is, if the Dumpster Antonio ordered is delivered by tomorrow.”