Dearly Depotted (16 page)

Wonderful. After I’d just told Don I’d keep him away. “Did he call for a ride home?”

“What else? Just my luck his brothers are working till seven tonight, and Herman has gone to the Kankakee River to fish. I’ll have to run out to the DeWitts’ after work.”

After
work? That would leave almost two hours for Karl to ogle Trudee. “Say, Lottie, here’s an idea. I need to deliver these roses, so why don’t I swing by Trudee’s house and pick up Karl for you? I’ll be in the vicinity anyway.”

“Don’t bother yourself, sweetie. A few more hours of weeding won’t kill him.”

But Don might.
“Honestly, Lottie. I don’t mind. In fact, I’m almost looking forward to it.” I picked up the wrapped flowers and my purse and took off, hoping I reached Karl before Don did.

 

 

 

 

D
on’s truck wasn’t parked on the DeWitts’ long brick driveway, and I didn’t see it in any of the open bays of their four-car garage. I heaved a sigh of relief. There was still time to rescue Karl. I hurried around the house to Trudee’s backyard, where I searched her flower garden at the bottom of the sloping lawn. No Karl. So much for weeding the garden.

I turned to scan the deck that ran across the back of Trudee’s house. On the deck was a long rectangular glass table with an umbrella in the center, six matching chairs, and a pair of chaise longues covered by cushions in a bright, tropical print. One of the lounge chairs was also covered by Karl, who was stretched out like a young prince, his eyes closed, shirt off, chest glistening with perspiration, arms behind his head, and blissful smile on his face. On a table beside him was a glass of ice water. I was surprised there wasn’t a bowl of grapes and two fan-waving slaves nearby.

Through the sliding glass doors I could see Trudee in the kitchen, removing a tray from the oven. I tiptoed across the deck and nudged Karl’s arm to rouse him from his daydream.

“M-m-m. Those pizza bites sure smell good,” he said.

I crouched down beside the lounge chair and whispered, “Karl.”

He opened his eyes, saw me, and sat up in surprise. “Abby! What are you doing here?”

“The question should be, what are
you
doing here?”

His face turned beet red. “I’m cooling off. I just finished weeding Trudee’s garden.”

“When did you become a gardener?”

“Hey, I did her a favor, and she paid me. Any crime in that?” He pulled two twenty dollar bills from his pants pocket and showed them to me. “Not bad for a few hours’ labor.”

“Fine. Let’s go now.”

He looked at his watch. “But it’s only two thirty.”

“Karl, Mr. DeWitt is a very large, very strong guy who has been known to lift grown men over his head when angered. And your hanging around here is making him angry. Are you getting the message yet?”

“Over his head?” I could see Karl’s throat muscles work as he gulped.

I grabbed the T-shirt he’d draped over the back of his chair and thrust it at him. “Put this on and let’s go before he gets home.”

At that moment the sliding door opened and Trudee emerged, wearing a yellow halter-top sundress and orange and yellow polka-dot, high-heeled slides. She didn’t see me at first—a pink chewing-gum bubble hid my face—but then she popped it and saw me. “Hi, Abby!” she said brightly. “I didn’t hear you come up the steps. Want some pizza bites?”

I took one, thanked her, and slipped it in my mouth. I couldn’t resist pizza—or even a product that claimed to taste like pizza. “I came to get Karl,” I told her. “I need his help with a delivery. Let’s go, Karl.” I practically propelled him across the deck in front of me.

“Gee, I wish you could stay longer,” Trudee called. “I just made all these hors d’oeuvres.”

Calling pizza bites hors d’oeuvres was a real stretch but that was typically Trudee. “I wish I could, Trudee, but I’m in a time crunch.”

“Maybe Heather will eat them.” Trudee glanced at the white face of her pink leather watch. “I’m surprised she isn’t home yet. Thanks for your help, Karl. You did a great job on the garden.”

“No problem. If you need anything else—”

I pushed him around the corner before he could say more.

“Stop shoving,” he said, twisting out of my reach. “You’re worse than my mom.”

“Your mom would have grounded you for being a nuisance. I’m merely taking you to a retirement home. And let’s make that older sister, instead of mom, okay?”

“You’re taking me
where
?”

The way he choked out that word, you would have thought I’d told him I was taking him to a manicurist to have his toenails painted puce. I opened the car door, got in, and started the engine. “Are you coming, or do you want to wait for Mrs. DeWitt’s husband?”

He got in and slammed the door. “Why do I have to go with you to a retirement home?”

“Because it’s on the way to your house. I promise it won’t take long. It’s not like you have anything better to do. Besides, you get to ride in a cool Vette.”

“It would be cooler if I could drive.”

“In your dreams.” On further consideration, however, I decided his dream had potential. “You really want to drive my Vette?”

He sat up, his face brightening. “Dude!”

“Okay, then here’s what you do. Stay away from the DeWitt house for a whole month and I’ll let you take it out for a spin.”

He slumped back down with a pout, looking more like seven than seventeen.

I made my delivery on Freeburg Road, then turned into the parking lot of the Lakeside Retirement Village. The so-called village was actually a cluster of brick buildings that housed both assisted-living facilities and private apartments. Each structure backed up to a large retainment pond, or “scenic lake” as it was advertised in the brochures, with a walking path around it, and benches located at regular intervals.

As I shut off the engine I explained to Karl why I was really there. His response was, “Cool. A murder investigation.” But then he took one look at the elderly people walking the paths and sitting on the benches and sank farther into his seat. “I’ll wait here.”

I shaded my eyes to glance at the sky, where the sun loomed large and scorching. “Suit yourself. But don’t blame me if you become one with the black leather upholstery.”

Grumbling, he got out and followed me into the larger, center building, which housed the administration offices. At the information desk I got directions to Matilda Osborne’s unit, then headed out the door to find building B, where her apartment was located. As we crossed the landscaped lawn that separated the buildings, I spotted Pryce’s father coming out of building B. Since neither us felt at ease around the other, I made a quick decision to spare us both the discomfort of an awkward encounter: I ducked behind a stone bench, where two elderly men were talking.

“What are you doing?” Karl asked, staring down at me, causing the two men to get up from the bench and walk around to see what was happening

“Sh-h! Get down here,” I whispered.

He crouched down. “Why are we hiding?”

“Did you sprain your ankle?” one of the men asked, peering at me through thick glasses.

The other one said in alarm, “You sprained your ankle? Stay right there, honey. I’ll go for help.”

“Wait! Don’t do that!” I cried as he started off.

The commotion caused Mr. Osborne to glance our way. To my surprise, he didn’t scuttle off to his car. Instead, he lifted a hand to acknowledge me, then came toward us, which he would never have done unless he felt it was of vital importance. Even then it was doubtful.

“How’s your mother?” I asked, walking out to meet him.

“She isn’t coping well with the”—he cupped a hand around his mouth to finish in a whisper—“murder. The police questioned her for a long while this morning, and it left her so discombobulated that I insisted she take something for her nerves. Now she’s claiming I tried to poison her and she won’t take any of her pills. She
has
to have her heart medication.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Perfect lead-in. Now I could offer to visit—which I was sure was his goal anyway—and make myself look like a heroine. “Would you like me to stop by to say hi to her? Perhaps I’ll be able to persuade her to take her medicine.”

He looked extremely relieved, so I didn’t feel bad letting him believe I was doing him a favor. “Thank you, Abigail. That’s very kind of you to offer.”

Kind,
and
smart.

 

“How long will this take?” Karl asked as we walked up a long hallway, checking the numbers on the doors.

“Twenty minutes, tops.”

“That long?”

I could hear him grumbling under his breath as I knocked on the door of 214B. There was more grumbling on the other side of the door, then it swung open and Grandma Osborne stood there in a pair of bright blue slacks and matching knit top. She had a perturbed look on her face, but it changed to a smile the instant she saw me.

“Well, look who came to visit! And you brought your new boyfriend.”

“That’s it,” Karl said. “I’m outta here.”

I grabbed his arm before he could escape. “Grandma, I’d like you to meet Karl. He’s my assistant Lottie’s son.” I gave Karl a little nudge. “Say hi to Mrs. Osborne.”

She clucked her tongue at us. “None of that missus stuff now. Call me Grandma like everyone else does.” She turned and shuffled up the hallway, calling back, “Would you like some milk and cookies, Karl?”

“No, thanks.” Karl shot me a scowl as I motioned for him to follow me. “Twenty minutes,” he whispered.

She led us to her living room, an airy space jammed with furniture and knickknacks collected over a lifetime. She sat down in a spindle-back rocking chair, her bony hands resting on the wooden arms, and looked at us, the chair creaking as it moved in a steady rhythm.

“We won’t keep you long,” I told her as Karl and I took seats on an old-fashioned, high-backed, flowered sofa. “I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

“That’s very kind of you, Abby, but to tell the truth I’m not doing too well. I’m having a hard time sleeping, and just look at this.” She held out her hands to show how they trembled. She stopped rocking suddenly and put a hand against her chest, as though she felt faint.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Palpitations. It’s from that medicine my son made me take this morning. He said it would calm my nerves, but all it did was make me cotton-headed and give me palpitations. The only reason I took it was so he’d quit griping at me.” She thrust out her lower lip. “So I told him, no more pills.”

“I’m sure he’s concerned about you. After all, you had quite a shock yesterday.”

She let out a sad sigh. “Yes. It’s painful to see a young man’s life end so tragically.”

Karl leaned toward me to whisper, “Is she talking about the dead guy?”

I gave him a discreet poke with my elbow.

“Say, would you two like some cookies?” she asked, as if for the first time. “I have butterscotch.”

“No, thanks. Grandma. Would it be too upsetting if I asked you a few questions about what happened?”

She tilted her head, like Simon did when he didn’t understand. “What happened when?”

“Monday evening.”

“Sakes alive, young woman, didn’t you hear? Claymore got married! And to such a beautiful young woman, too. Jillian is her name . . . Jillian Osborne.”

I ignored Karl’s nudge. “I was referring to the murder, Grandma. I’m doing a little private investigating and I was hoping we could go over what happened one more time—just in case you remember something new—but only if you’re up to it. Do you remember the body we found in the gazebo?”

“Of course I do. It was awful. But I’ve already told the police about it.”

“The problem is, the police don’t like to share information.”

“Phooey on them. Bunch of Neanderthals if you ask me. I’ll tell you exactly what I told them. I went to the garden to get away from all that racket in the ballroom. The gazebo looked so peaceful with that soft light falling on it that I decided to go sit up there for a spell. It reminded me of the pretty little gazebo my mother had in her garden. I always loved to sit there and watch the birds.” She heaved a melancholy sigh and stared into the distance.

Karl nudged me again, whispering, “Is twenty minutes up yet?”

“Butterscotch cookies!” the elderly woman exclaimed, turning her gaze on Karl. “That’s what you’d like, isn’t it?”

Karl shot me a pleading look.

“Tell me what happened once you were in the gazebo,” I said.

“Let me think . . . You know the bench that circles the inside? I sat down there and looked around, and that’s when I spotted that glass of water shimmering in the moonlight. I got up and took it, and that’s when I saw that poor young man stretched out on the floor.”

“Do you remember seeing anyone in or around the garden when you first walked out there?”