Dearly Depotted (28 page)

Reilly’s response was on the flinty side. “No.”

I felt Marco press his knee against mine in warning, but I forged ahead, knowing I might not get another opportunity. “What about the wedding video? Did Richard turn up on that?”

“No.” Now his gaze was flinty, too.

“Have some sugar for your tea,” Marco said, tossing a packet my way. He knew I never used sugar in iced tea.

“Okay, so here’s a thought,” I said, pushing the packet aside. “While you’re waiting to hear from the detective in Texas, why can’t you take another look at Josiah?”

Reilly finished his beer and set the glass down with a thunk. “You want me to take another look at him? Then give me something worth seeing.” Abruptly, he stood up.

As we watched Reilly stride out of the bar, Marco said, “That wasn’t smooth.”

“I know and I hate myself for it.”

“Yeah, right. Well, you can scratch Reilly from your resource list. We won’t get any more cooperation from him.”

“No, I mean it. I didn’t want to alienate Reilly. I just got so frustrated with him that I couldn’t help myself. Do you really think I blew it?”

“Yep.”

“Maybe I should send him a big bouquet of daisies. No, make that roses. Nothing says
I’m sorry
like a dozen roses.” At Marco’s scowl I sighed and plopped my chin on my hand. “Okay, forget the roses. Would it help if I talked to Melanie again?”

“Would she talk to you after that close call you had?”

“Probably not. Do you want to have a sandwich with me? I don’t think well when the gurgles from my stomach are louder than my thoughts.”

Marco called Kim over to give her our orders, then we went back to brainstorming, although what my brain was doing would hardly be classified as a storm. A sprinkle maybe.

“Let’s take another look at the suspects,” Marco said. “You’ve crossed off Vince Vogel. What about Melanie?”

“I’ve crossed off Melanie, too.”

“That leaves Richard and Josiah.” He saw me about to object to Richard and held up a hand. “You have to leave him in until we hear from Texas.”

“Fine. So we’ve got Richard and Josiah—and there’s always the dishwasher, Gunther. We’ve never really checked out his story.”

“Remind me about Gunther.”

I counted off what I knew on my fingers. “Gunther knew Jack from prison. He left work after the wedding ceremony without telling his boss. He wears a white coat. And he takes out the garbage—although he denied that he’d taken it out Monday night. I told you Grandma saw someone with a garbage bag, right?”

“It’s thin,” Marco said. “Besides, I’m sure Gunther has been cleared by the police. They would have interviewed all the banquet center employees.”

I held up my hands. “Then I’m stumped. I don’t know what else to do.”

Marco sat back, thinking, and finally shook his head. “We need a fresh lead, sunshine, otherwise this investigation is dead in the water.”

Which meant Richard was in trouble big-time.

 

 

 

 

S
ince I’d taken so much time off work, I left Marco’s bar and went back to Bloomers to do a little catching up—opening mail, paying bills, and taking care of orders that had come in after the shop had closed. When I finally locked up and headed for home, the sun had set, so I flicked on the headlamps, buckled my seat belt, and eased out of the parking space. I drove with the top down and the radio on, but I was too preoccupied with the murder case to enjoy the ride.

It wasn’t until I was almost home that I noticed that the same pair of headlights had been behind me for a long time. I noticed them because the left one was dimmer than the right. I turned on the next street to take a different route, just to be on the safe side, then I glanced in the mirror and the headlights were gone. With a sigh of relief, I pulled into the parking lot, got out of the car, and started for the building.

Suddenly, the slam of a car door made me jerk to the left, where I saw a figure in black move quickly toward me. There was no question that the person was coming at me.

“Back off!” I shouted, threading my keys through my fingers to use as a weapon.

“Abigail, it’s me,” came a whispered female voice.

I let my breath out in a rush. “Aunt Corrine? What are you doing here?”

She got closer and I could see the lower half of her face beneath a wide-brimmed black hat. “I brought you this,” she whispered. She pulled something out of her black raincoat and slipped it to me. “It’s the video.”

“It’s not raining. Why are you dressed like that?”

She glanced over her shoulder.“I don’t want anyone to see us.”

“Did you follow me home?”

She nodded. “I didn’t frighten you, did I? I’m sorry, darling. It’s just that—you know—my community standing is at stake.” She patted my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re taking care of this for us. Your mother would be proud of you—but you mustn’t tell her. She’d love nothing more than . . . well, that’s not important now. What’s important is that we’re no longer hiding evidence.”

I glanced at the plastic case in my hand, on which she’d written in black marker
Jillian’s Wedding
. That gave me an idea. I wasn’t going to be turning it in until morning, so in the meantime, would it hurt to preview it?

But first there was the little matter of my fee. I had to ask for it before Lottie sent out that statement. “Aunt Corrine,” I said, as she started away.

She stopped and glanced back with a smile. “Yes?”

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. What was wrong with me? “Get your headlights checked. One of them looks weak.”

 

Simon was waiting for me in the kitchen doorway. I bent to scratch under his chin, but he was already moving toward the refrigerator door, where he put one paw on the door and looked up at me with an innocent expression.

“Don’t feed him,” I heard Nikki call. “He ate an hour ago.”

I set the DVD on the counter and walked into the living room, where Nikki was lounging on the sofa in shorts and a tank top, watching a show on TV that appeared to be about a bunch of really filthy, half-naked men and women holding a powwow. “What are you doing home so early?” I asked her.

“I traded today for my Saturday off. One of the other techs needed to take her son to the doctor . . . Is that a worry line between your eyes? Did something happen?”

I felt the area between my eyebrows. Yep, there it was—a worry line. “Something happened all right. Richard Davis was arrested.”

“Oh, no. That’s awful.”

“No kidding. And I’m completely out of ideas on how to help him. Even Marco is stumped.” I sank down on the sofa and leaned my head against the back. “I feel terrible, Nikki. I let Grace down.”

“I’m so sorry.” She patted my shoulder just as Simon jumped up, plopped on my lap, and started to clean his paw.

“Look there,” Nikki said, getting up. “Simon is sorry, too. Do you want a beer or wine or something?”

“I’ll take anything, as long as it’s cold.”

“What’s this?” she called from the kitchen. “Did you rent a movie?”

“That’s the wedding video Jillian managed to sneak out from under the cops’ noses. My aunt dropped it off. I have the privilege of turning it in to the police so my cousin doesn’t get into trouble.”

“I don’t know how you put up with Jillian.”

“At least now that the wedding is over I won’t have to see her often.”

“You’re going to watch the video before you turn it in, right?”

“You read my mind. I probably shouldn’t—I’m pretty certain it would still be considered evidence—but I’ve reached the point of desperation. Do you want to watch it now?”

Nikki came back with two cold cans of Miller Lite and the DVD. “And miss another fascinating episode of
Survivor
? Puh-leez.” She snorted. “Let’s do it.”

I powered on the DVD player, inserted the disk, punched the Play button, and sat down beside Nikki on the sofa.

“Okay, what are we searching for?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Just keep your eye out for anything that seems out of place or unusual.”

The video began with Jillian mugging for the camera as she sat in a chair at the beauty salon, having her hair and manicure done. “She shouldn’t use so much conditioner,” Nikki commented. “It makes her hair look oily.”

I fast-forwarded through images of Jillian applying mascara, being zipped into her gown, getting in and out of the rented white stretch limo, waiting inside the glass doors with all the bridesmaids lined up in front of her, and sticking her tongue out at the camera as the music started.

“Oh, look. There you are,” Nikki said. “That dress doesn’t look any better on film, does it?”

The next scene showed Jillian and her father walking up the aisle, with all of us evenly spaced in front of her. “You really are short next to those girls,” Nikki remarked. “Omigod, there’s Marco. Could he be any yummier in that tux? And what’s up with Pryce? He looks like a stone statue. Claymore isn’t much better. If he stood any straighter he’d fall over. Remind me what Jillian sees in him again? Oh, right. Money.”

The camera panned the crowd and I pointed out my brothers and their wives, Melanie and Josiah, and various Knight relatives and friends.

“So, what are we looking for again?” Nikki asked.

“Anything unusual. And keep your eye out for Jack in his waiter’s disguise.”

“I’m not sure I remember what he looks like.”

I jumped up to get the newspaper photo out of my purse. As I returned with it she pointed to the screen and said, “There’s something unusual.”

I hit Pause. “What? I don’t see anything.”

“You don’t see that Afghan hound sitting in the third row next to that man with the rug on his head?”

“That’s not an Afghan hound; that’s Claymore’s cousin Arielle, and the man with the rug is Claymore’s uncle Oscar.”

“Someone needs to get Arielle on
Extreme Makeover, Wedding Edition
.”

“Are you going to provide commentary throughout the entire video?”

“Yeah. It’d be pretty boring otherwise.”

The ceremony began and we watched silently until Nikki suddenly cried, “Stop!”

I hit the Pause button again. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me about your fall. Rewind that last part. I want to see it again.” She reached for the remote and I held it away.

“We’re looking for evidence, Nikki, not for laughs. Get ready. Here comes the fight.”

As the minister talked to the bride and groom, a bellow could be heard in the background. The cameraman turned the lens toward the back of the garden, where Josiah was clearly visible pounding the heck out of Jack. Then the view was blocked when everyone around them jumped to their feet. I hit the Rewind button, then we watched it again.

“Who are those people standing in front of the banquet center?” Nikki asked.

I paused the tape and Nikki pointed to three white-coated figures. I got down on my knees in front of the TV for a better look. “That one is Sheila Sackowitz.” I tapped the first little figure on the screen. “She works in the kitchen. She mentioned she’d snuck out to watch the ceremony. I’ve seen the woman beside her, too. She’s one of the cooks.”

“Ew. Bad hair day for her. Who’s the ape-man?”

I squinted at the blurred face. “It looks like Gunther.”

“The dishwasher, right?”

“Right.”

“So he saw the fight with Jack Snyder, whom he knew from prison.”

I turned to look at her. “That’s right. Interesting connection, isn’t it?”

I hit the Play button and we watched as Jack was escorted out of the garden and Josiah was taken to the banquet center. The three white-coated figures had disappeared. Then the ceremony resumed, followed shortly by the fireworks display. The cameraman had apparently been unable to decide which to film, so he filmed a little of both, moving back and forth until we were dizzy from watching it.

“Jillian’s going to love that,” Nikki remarked.

“They can edit it out. There was another cameraman filming the ceremony. Jillian made sure she was covered from all angles.”

The next scene showed the bridal party forming a receiving line just inside the banquet center doors. The first guest to come through was Vince Vogel, who offered his congratulations then turned and headed out again, dodging guests streaming in from the garden. Through the glass doors I caught a glimpse of Richard and Grace standing on the sidewalk outside, a cell phone pressed to Richard’s ear.

At that moment one of the guests blocked the camera lens, but in the next frame I could see Richard put away his phone, give Grace a kiss on the cheek, then head off to the left, toward the parking lot.

I stopped the tape. “There. Did you see that?”

“I saw Richard walk away. What does that prove?”