Cooked Goose (29 page)

She laid the photo on the counter and waited for the usual negative response.

“Of course I have, dear girl. I have seen it. I made it. Are you a happy woman now?”

At first, neither Savannah nor her tired, aching feet could believe it. “Did you really? Or are you just trying to cheer me up?”

The woman laughed and the sound was like that of the silver bell on the counter. “I am glad that you are happy, and I am telling you the truth. I made that ring several years ago.”

“Do you remember who it was for?”

“I don’t believe he told me his name. He was a beautiful young man, with fine cut features and a strong, muscular body.”

Savannah had pictures of Dunn, McGivney, and DeCianni in her purse. She pulled out the one of Dunn, as he was the one most likely to be described as “a beautiful young man.”

“Is this him?”

Mama Tallulah looked at the picture and nodded. “That is him. I would remember his face anywhere. As I said, he was beautiful, but part of his aura was dark, very dark, as though there was an evil spirit nearby him. I was afraid for him.”

Savannah thought of Titus’s blood-splattered walls. Yes, evil had been very close to Titus Dunn.

“Have you read the newspapers lately, Mama?” Savannah asked, replacing the photo in her purse.

“No. I don’t like to read such things. All the wicked doings in the world, they make me sad.”

“I can understand that. The young man who bought your ring, he’s missing.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is that why you’re asking about the ring?”

“Yes. That’s right.” She took McGivney’s and DeCianni’s pictures from her purse and held them out to the woman. “Have you seen either of these men?”

Mama studied them carefully. “This man, I have never seen,” she said, pointing to McGivney’s picture. “But this one, he came in with the first man and asked me to make him a ring, as well.”

“And you did?”

“Of course. Just like his friend’s.”

“So, you made those two?”

“And another for a third friend of theirs. I never saw him. They told me his size, said it was to be a surprise, a gift for him.”

“They didn’t mention his name?”

“No. But I believe they were in military service of some sort.”

“Why do you say that?”

Savannah could feel an area on the nape of her neck start to tingle, just the way it always did when she was about to get something good.

“Because when they came in the last time, to order the fourth ring, they—”

“A fourth ring? There were four rings? Are you sure about that, Mama?”

“Of course, I’m certain. My rings are like my children. I made four, exactly alike, except for size, of course.”

“And what were you saying about the men being in the military?”

“I think they were. When they came back for the fourth ring, I remember the younger man said to the other, ‘The captain’s really going to like this. Now we’ve all got one.’”

It was all Savannah could do not to vault over the counter and give Mama Tallulah a great big kiss.

“Ah, I see. Now, you are a very happy woman?” Mama asked, her face lit with a broad smile.

“Mama, I’m beyond happy. I’m plum ecstatic!”

* * *

12:25 P.M.

“This was a good idea,” Savannah told Margie as they sat at the table in Burger Bonanza and watched the twins happily burying their faces in their ice cream cones—their rewards for having polished off their junior deluxes with cheese.

Margie lowered her voice and leaned closer to Savannah. “Anything’s better than sitting around at your place, listening to Vidalia and Butch ‘make up.’”

Savannah took a sip of her chocolate malted. “No kidding. I think I liked it better then they were fighting.”

“Mommy and Daddy were playing bum-bum again this morning,” Jack announced with an ice cream smeared grin.

“Bum-bum?” Margie said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t ask,” Savannah whispered.

“Yeah!” Jillian nearly dropped her cone onto the table. “Jackie went in the bedroom to tell them he wanted some soda and guess what he saw?”

“I really don’t think we should—” Savannah just had a feeling.

“He saw Daddy’s bum-bum going up and down and up and down, and Mommy was under him, and she was laughing really hard.”

“Yep, that’s what I thought,” Savannah muttered. She gave Margie the eye. “You just
had
to ask, didn’t you?”

“And Daddy got all mad,” Jack said. “He told me to knock next time, but I’m not gonna because I thought it was funny, and I wanna see it again.”

“Why don’t you finish your ice cream there, young man,” Savannah told him, ruffling his curls, “and then you and your pretty sister can go play in the balls.”

She pointed to the cage filled half full of red, orange and yellow, plastic balls where other children were diving in, screaming with glee.

“O-o-o, goodie! Hurry up, Jackie,” Jillian exclaimed, then attacked her cone with renewed vigor.

Savannah looked up and saw Dirk walking toward them, a grimmer than grim expression on his face. The last time they had spoken on the phone, less than an hour ago, he had been down in the dumps. He had driven into Los Angeles and talked to the father of the young man who had been beaten by the guys wearing star rings. The trail was so stale, he hadn’t gotten anywhere with it.

But once Savannah had told him about her conversation with Mama Tallulah, the fourth ring, and the “captain” reference, he had been downright chipper.

Apparently, something had happened to send him into another depression. Lately, he had been more moody than Vidalia. At least Vi had Butch and “make-up bum-bum” to lift her spirits.

Margie saw him, too, and took her cue. “I’ll take the kids to the rest room and wash their hands,” she said. “Then I’ll throw them into the balls.”

“Thanks a lot.” She smiled at Margie and delighted in the warmth of the smile she received in return. This tough, bratty kid was turning out to have a sweet soul after all. “You know,” Savannah added, “you should have been a big sister. You’re really very good at it.”

“Not as good as you.”

“Actually, better.”

Margie and the kids vacated the booth, and Dirk took their place.

“Tracked me down, huh?” she said.

“I didn’t exactly find this detective’s badge in a Cracker Jack box, you know.” He reached for some of Jillian’s cold, leftover fries.

“Who ratted me out, Tammy or Vi?”

“Fluff head.”

“That does it, I’m going to take away all those benefits of hers, all those fancy perks.”

“Perks? She gets perks?”

Savannah laughed. “Heck, at the moment she does well to get paid. So, why did you track me down?”

“I wanted to give you the good news and the bad news.”

She took another drink of her malt. “Okay, give me the bad first. I’m ready.”

“Another cop is missing.”

She nearly choked on her drink. “You’re kidding. Hell fire and damnation! Who is it?”

“Well, that’s what might be construed as the good news. Or maybe not.” He looked over at Margie, who was laughing, playing with the children, tossing them into the middle of the balls. “It’s Bloss. He didn’t come into the station this morning, or call in.”

“Did anybody go out to the house?”

“We sent Farnon and McMurtry out. They looked the place over, said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

“Wanna go look ourselves? See if we can find anything out of the ordinary?”

The very thought of getting to snoop through the high and mighty Captain Bloss’s things brought a grin to her face. Dirk must have been thinking the same thing, because a similar smirk appeared on his.

“Sure,” he said. “There are several things I’d like to look for.”

“Like maybe a certain ring?”

“Exactly. Sh-h-h.” He nodded toward Margie, who was coming back to the table. “We probably shouldn’t tell her yet.”

“No, there’s no point in worrying her any more than she already is.”

“I came back for my Coke,” Margie said, reaching for the soda. “They’re really having fun in there.”

“I know,” Savannah said, “but we’re going to have to cut out of here in a few minutes. I have to go somewhere with Dirk. I’ll drive you three back to the house first.”

“Okay, but you have to drag them out of the balls. I can tell you right now, it won’t be easy.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” Savannah hesitated, then said in the most casual tone she could muster, “Margie, does your father still have his wedding ring, the one he wore when he was married to your mom?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess so. I never heard that he threw it away or gave it to anybody.”

“If he did have it—or some other sentimental piece of jewelry—like maybe an old watch, where do you think he’d keep it?”

“I’m not sure, but he has an old green box, like a little trunk with metal corners. I think it was from when he was in the Army. He’s got some keepsake type things in there, like his Army medals and his birth certificate. He keeps it under the sleeping bag in his bedroom closet. Why?”

Savannah looked over at Dirk, but she could see he was going to let her handle this one.

“Savannah.” Margie sat down on the seat next to her, looking worried. “Is my dad in some kind of trouble?”

“I’m not going to lie to you, Margie,” she said, “He may be. We aren’t sure just yet. Dirk will do everything he can for your dad because your father’s his captain. And I’m going to do all I can because he’s your dad and you’re my friend.”

“Thank you. Can you at least tell me what kind of trouble it is?”

“I would, honey, but right now,” Savannah said with a sigh, “I’m not sure myself.”

“Is he going to die, like those other policemen?”

Savannah looked into the teenager’s eyes and saw a vulnerable child staring back at her—frightened, but demanding the truth.

It was a truth Savannah couldn’t bring herself to speak.

As the silence grew heavier and Savannah searched for words that were comforting, but not an outright lie, Dirk came to the rescue. He cleared his throat, leaned across the table, and patted the girl’s hand. “Not if we can help it, sweetheart,” he told her with a kindness and sincerity that touched Savannah’s heart. “Not if we can help it.”
 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

2:03 p.m.

Going into someone’s house when they weren’t at home, without their knowledge or permission, had always given Savannah tingles along the spine. But entering Bloss’s gave her a downright chill. She had been there before, when she had collected Margie’s clothes for her. But that entry had been at the request of one of the house’s occupants.

If Bloss knew they were there, he would have a fit; she had no doubt about that.

Unless, of course, he was as dead as the other missing cops and didn’t care about anything at this point.

“Not a bad place,” Dirk remarked, looking around at the heavy, dark Mission-style furniture set off against cool, white walls. Plants hung from the high, beamed ceilings and mint green and coral Oriental rugs covered the oak-planked floors. Everything was neat and tidy, obviously cleaned by a maid service, Savannah surmised. Captain Harvey Bloss wouldn’t have the time to do much dusting or vacuuming on his workaholic schedule.

“Must have had it decorated by a professional,” she said. “Anybody who wears hot pink, palm tree neckties and isn’t couth enough to use a tissue for his nose wouldn’t come up with this.”

Dirk’s own nose twitched, like it was out of joint. “I guess on a captain’s salary, you can afford a pad like this. Too bad he doesn’t deserve it.”

“You go see if you can find that chest Margie was talking about,” Savannah told him, “while I snoop around.”

“How come you get to do the fun stuff?”

“’Cause I’m a girl and I’m not getting paid.”

“I’m not sure what that has to do with anything,” he grumbled as he headed off toward the bedroom to check out the closet.

Savannah made a beeline for the bathroom.

“What are you gonna do in there?” he called after her.

“Contrary to popular belief, it’s the bathroom, not the bedroom, that’s the best place to snoop. It’s where you find the coolest stuff, every time.”

A couple of minutes later, after Dirk had searched the bedroom closet and Savannah had finished with the bathroom and poked around the rest of the house, they met in the kitchen.

“Any sign of the ring?” she asked. Dirk was holding something behind his back.

“Nope,” he said. “I’ll bet whoever nabbed him took it, too. This was all that was in the chest, and I don’t know for sure if it was for that ring.”

He held out a small ring box covered with navy blue velvet. It was empty, but the imprint of a large ring was clearly visible on the nap of the fabric inside.