Murder on the Bucket List (22 page)

Charlotte waved to someone across the room. “Isn't that Mary Ruth's grandson Toby over there?”

“The one trying very hard to ignore us?” Francine said.

“Toby!” Charlotte called.

“Shush.” Francine hit her with a dessert trifold she picked up off the table. “Everyone's looking at us.”

“They've been doing that since we got here.”

Toby lumbered over with a sheepish look on his face. “Hello, Mrs. Reinhardt.” He nodded at Marcy and Francine.

“Toby, your face is pale compared to that bright yellow
Security
shirt you're wearing. Who's that girl you're with over there?”

“She's a friend.”

“Has your friend got a name? She's not from around here, is she? I don't recognize her.”

“Her name is Ashley. We have econ class together.”

“Econ, huh? Are you supplying what she's demanding?”

Toby blushed. Francine hit her again with the trifold. “You're embarrassing the boy.”

She winked at Toby. “That's the whole point. Are you working security somewhere, Toby? Mary Ruth didn't say you had a job.”

“I'm working security at SpeedFest this week. Ashley's dad works for the firm they hired to run security, and they were looking for big guys, so he hired me.”

Toby looked like a security guard with his size and his tattoos, but Francine figured with his passive nature he probably needed an in. “Sounds like a good girlfriend to have, Toby,” she said.

“We're just
friends
, Mrs. McNamara.” He looked back at Ashley. “And I need to get back to her. Nice to see you all.”

Charlotte was close enough to grab hold of his beefy forearm. “Hold on a minute, Toby. You said you're working security at SpeedFest?

He nodded. “It's why I have get back and finish my lunch. I've got to be there at one.”

“Do you know where you're going to be located?”

“Infield, I think.”

“So if we need help, we should look for you.”

Toby wrinkled his nose. “Help?”

“Unsavory types like the media. You know.” She tossed it off like it was something she had to deal with every day. “Say, you're good with video games and that kind of stuff, aren't you? Do you think you could find a way to reset the password on my iPod? I'm having trouble with it.” She handed it to him.

Toby turned it over in his hand. “Sure. What'd you do, forget the password?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“I should be able to get around it.”

“Thanks.”

He returned to his table.

Francine waited until Toby was out of earshot. “What was that all about, Charlotte?”

“Oh, I just had to tease the boy. We spent that whole morning running tours together at Alice and Larry's house, and he never once mentioned a girlfriend.”

“I mean involving Toby in breaking into Friederich's iPod. It's one thing to get yourself into trouble, but not the boy.”

Joy was aghast. “You have Friederich's iPod?”

“Well, not anymore. Toby has it.”

“You know what I mean. Where did you get it?”

“She took it out of Friederich's Corvette,” Francine said.

“I acquired it when we when we broke into Friederich's house,” Charlotte said defensively. “Our little adventure that made it into the news.”

“The iPod didn't,” said Joy. “Does Jud know you have it?”

“No. And we don't want any … Imperial entanglements.” She said it like Alec Guinness in
Star Wars
.

“Well, that's the trick, isn't it?” Joy responded.

“Enough with the
Star Wars
dialogue,” Francine said. “Jake told us Friederich had a mysterious lover, and supposedly Friederich made some kind of video to use as blackmail in case she planned to dump him, which he was afraid of. We think if that video really does exist, it might be on the iPod.”

“And the mysterious lover might be the killer,” Charlotte added.

“No way.”

Francine nodded. “Way.”

Joy scooted a little closer to the table. “This is kind of exciting.”

The waitress returned with their food at that moment. She distributed the meals, refilled coffees, and left.

Charlotte spread out the scoop of butter on top of her pancakes. “And last night I started a rumor that Jake has a copy of the video and planned to give it to police after the race today.”

“Whatever for?”

“Because we need to force the killer to do something other than frame Larry.”

“How many people did you tell?”

Charlotte thought a moment. “Francine told me last night she didn't want to know how I was going to do it, and I think maybe I'll stick to that. Because I have an idea who the killer is.”

“Who?” they all asked at once.

She teased them with a smile. “Let's just say that everything seems to revolve around Jake's return to the midget car races. So something will happen today. We just need to watch Jake carefully. And Sara Baggesen. Friederich seemed to be tracking her movements.”

Joy frowned. “Eww. Like a stalker?”

“No, not like that. But he was flagging photos of her in a midget car magazine. There has to be a reason, and I bet it had to do with his death.”

“This could so work out,” Marcy said excitedly. “If the killer reveals himself and Joy is there to capture it all on tape first, she could really nab the
GMA
position.”

“Joy,” said Charlotte, “you're not just going to be a track reporter today, you're going to be an undercover journalist.”

They stared at each other. Joy's face lit up. “Okay, Charlotte. You want to solve a mystery. I want to prove I'm a reporter. Let's do this thing.”

Francine glared at Charlotte. “I want you to tell me who you think it is.”

Charlotte doused her pancakes with maple syrup. “I know what you're thinking, Francine.”

“I'm not sure you do.”

“You're wondering if I'm making a big mistake, eating a lot of food before we go to the track. In case I get interviewed. Especially since I had breakfast food the last time and it didn't turn out so well. The good news is, this is not tofu sausage and this is not artificial syrup.”

“Actually, I'm thinking that you're making a big mistake not letting me in on your suspicions.”

“Then I can count on you sticking by my side?”

“Like syrup on those pancakes.”

“Then we are on the same menu.”

thirty-three

As they drove over
to Lucas Oil Raceway, Francine was starting to become okay with the idea that Charlotte had a plan, even if she didn't know the details of it. She almost had to. Charlotte rode to the track with Joy so they could confer alone, sending Marcy over to ride with her. Francine was grumpy to be stuck with Marcy and hardly talked to the publicist. Marcy never stopped talking, however. She babbled on and on about Lucas Oil, like Francine had never been there, even though it was a major attraction only twenty miles from the Speedway and hosted big drag races on its drag strip and lots of Automobile Racing Club of America events on its smaller oval. When they arrived, Joy went to the press area to meet with the track network's crew, leaving Marcy with them. Marcy distributed their free tickets. The three women were admitted and then walked the bare-ground trail to the first entrance. Francine tried to think of a way to get rid of the publicist but couldn't come up with anything.

To the right of them rose a massive wall of sloped concrete that held stands. Though practice was getting ready to start, there was practically no one in the stands.

Charlotte looked at the mostly empty seats. “Is this normal? It's about one o'clock. I thought this would be like the
Indy 500, where people arrive long before the race.”

Francine remembered having the same thoughts when she and Jonathan went to SpeedFest several years back, before Jake had been taken into NASCAR. “No, it's like this. Practice and qualifications are getting ready to start. Before the lineup of the final race is determined, they'll have a bunch of heats, probably starting around three o'clock. By then it'll be filling up. You have to remember that the real draw isn't the midgets but the Silver Crown series race that happens after that. The stands will be full by then.”

One step at a time, Charlotte led the women up to the first row of bleachers, where she laid out a large sheet of paper with a crude, hand-drawn map of Lucas Oil Raceway on it. Marcy and Francine held on to the edges to keep the wind from blowing it over on itself.

Francine knew the layout. The oval was the place where the midget car race would take place. The short sides of the oval faced north and south. Along the north and west sides of the oval, inside the track, Charlotte had drawn little rectangles that were labeled
Pits
. Inside the center of the oval extending to the east side was a large area she'd labeled
Support Vehicles
.

“This is how the track is laid out,” Charlotte said. “After Francine left last night I did a little research, and then this morning I called and talked to Alice because she's a race fan and knows this place like the back of her hand. The key thing will be finding out where each racer's pit will be located. We need to pay particular attention to Jake and to Sara. If they have a relationship, we should be able to determine just what that is.”

“Where's Mary Ruth stationed?” Francine asked.

“Ah, yes, our spies. Mary Ruth and Alice will be back here in the support vehicles area. They need to be close to where they'll serve their food. I've alerted them to be looking for anything suspicious. If they notice anything, they'll call us on our cell phones.”

“What could they possibly see back there that's suspicious?” Marcy wanted to know.

“They might hear some gossip that could be a game changer. Right now, I'm operating on instinct. With some additional intel, I might be able to zero in on the killer.”

Francine had to choke back a laugh at the word
intel
. The track announcer said something incomprehensible and the first midget car raced out onto the track.

“Wow, they're loud,” Charlotte shouted.

Francine handed her some earplugs. “That's with only one car out. Wait until the heats start, when more of them are running. Then it gets really loud, and you'll need these.”

“Good thing we're already losing our hearing. Otherwise, I'd be worried.”

The driver decided not to complete his qualification and the track was quiet for a few minutes.

Charlotte glanced at Marcy. “We need someone stationed here at the entrance to see who comes in.”

“Sorry, but you're not ditching me,” Marcy said. “Don't think you're going to go off and solve this thing while I sit here twiddling my thumbs.”

“We need to take advantage of the fact that there are three of us,” Charlotte explained. “No one who's not part of a racing team can get into the infield without going past this spot. It would be useful to know if any of the suspects are coming our way.”

Marcy eyed her. “The only suspects
are
part of a racing team.”

Charlotte shook her head. “Not so. Larry, for example.”

Francine expressed her surprise. “Larry? Is he going to be here? I thought we agreed he wouldn't have done it.”

“Nonetheless, he can't be fully ruled out. And Joy said Alice told her he was coming.”

Marcy folded her hands over her chest. “Not going to work. I'm going with you.”

“Ahem,” said a male voice. The women turned and found Jud standing behind them. He was dressed in his police uniform.

“Hi, Jud,” said Charlotte.

“Where are your friends from the press?”

“I'm sure they're not far behind,” Francine said.

“The crowd's so sparse right now, I'd have thought you'd see them.” He sat in the row behind them.

Marcy sniffed. “There aren't that many of them now.”

“I've heard that,” Jud said. A second racer went onto the track and the noise level climbed. Jud shouted his next question. “Francine, could I see you for a moment?” He indicated a spot behind the bleachers.

Francine was mystified as to what Jud could possibly want from her, but she obliged. When Charlotte tried to follow them, Jud frowned at her until she sat back down. “What is it?” she asked when they'd gotten far enough away she was certain Charlotte couldn't hear, even if the midget car was still qualifying.

“I'm worried about you and Charlotte.”

“Why?”

Jud put his hands in his pockets and got a sheepish look on his face. “I've chased the press away to make you all more appealing, but it seems to have backfired. Now, hardly anyone is following you, and with the race happening, I can't spare the manpower to keep you from getting into more trouble.”

“What makes you think we're going to get into more trouble?”

“Charlotte attracts trouble, and you're here on a mission. Tell me what your plans are.”

“To the best of my knowledge, our plans are to follow Jake around, and maybe Sara Baggesen. Charlotte says she thinks she knows who the killer is, but she's not letting on.” Francine considered telling him about Friederich's iPod, but since Charlotte technically didn't have it anymore, she decided she wouldn't. It would only make Charlotte mad, and if she was correct that the mystery would be solved today, then the iPod might not enter into it.

For some reason, Jud seemed relieved by the information. “I don't suppose there's any harm in your doing that. Just promise me that the two of you will stick together.”

Francine nodded. “But since I've answered your questions, how about if you reciprocate?”

“If it's information I can let out, I will.”

“Do you seriously suspect Larry?”

“Not of murder, but there's something he's hiding.”

“It may not be criminal. How about Jake? Do you suspect him? He told us he has an alibi.”

“He does, but it's one person's word. We understand Jake's reason for not coming forward with the information right away. That doesn't mean he's in the clear.”

Francine thought a moment. “Jake told us that Friederich's strength was ‘cheating legally.' Jake took one of his cars from Friederich's garage. But what about the second car that disappeared, the unmarked one? Could he have taken that one, too? Have his cars been checked to see if they have some kind of advantage Friederich concocted?”

“We thought of that. Both his car and his backup car have been checked. Nothing unusual was detected.”

“Do you mind if I ask who examined them? I mean, knowledgeable people have missed these kinds of things before.”

“We had Excalibur Racing do it. They wanted to help since Friederich worked for them.”

Francine remembered that Vince Baggesen worked at Excalibur. “But who at Excalibur checked it?”

“I'd have to consult my notes. One of their experts. I spoke with their acting chief mechanic, not the person who evaluated the car.”

“When you get a chance, I'd appreciate knowing.”

Jud gave her a hard stare. “Why?”

Francine briefly considered telling him the truth. “Charlotte will ask.”

Jud was not fooled. “If I get you the name, will you tell me why?”

The noise of the midget car quieted as it pulled off the track, and shortly after the announcer gave the qualifying time. The sudden quiet distracted Francine, but she looked back at Jud to find him expecting an answer. “Sure,” she said. “It probably won't make any difference, but yes, I'll tell you.”

Jud's cell phone rang. He looked at the number and walked away from Francine, talking to the caller. She wondered if he would remember to get her an answer.

As Francine returned to the stands, she saw Charlotte sitting on the edge of the bleacher seat gazing in her direction. “What did he want?” she asked.

“He's worried because we aren't being followed by the paparazzi. You remember that was part of his strategy to keep us safe. He thinks we'll get ourselves in trouble.”

“Well, let's not disappoint him, then. C'mon, Marcy.”

Marcy and Charlotte seemed to have come to some kind of understanding because they were acting chummy. “Where are we going?”

“Into the infield. It's time to find out where Jake and Sara have their pits.”

The three women used the tunnel that went under the track to get into the infield. As they were walking, they heard Joy's unmistakably chirpy voice interviewing someone over the loudspeakers. The questions and answers flowed naturally.

“Listen to that!” Marcy said enthusiastically. “She's doing great.”

Francine had to agree. Charlotte seemed distracted and didn't comment. When they got out of the tunnel, they hadn't walked too far along the pits before they came across Joy.

Joy pointed to the man behind her shouldering a video camera. “Look! The track network gave me a cameraman.”

Marcy pumped a fist. “Cool.”

“We're heading over to Sara Baggesen's pit. She's next up to qualify.”

“Where's Jake's pit?” Charlotte asked.

“Way back over there,” Joy said, pointing in the opposite direction. “Not optimal for our purposes, is it, Charlotte?”

“Not at all.” Charlotte was clearly unhappy.

A look passed between them. It made Francine nervous. “What purposes? What have you got planned?”

“Nothing, Francine. Just stay close.”

The women followed Joy and her cameraman to Sara's pit. Along the way, Charlotte pulled out her map and Joy identified Sara's area, which was located at the north end where the racers exited into the pits, and Jake's position at the southwest corner, where the cars left the pits to get onto the track.

“I bet it's a seniority kind of thing,” Joy said. “Jake's been around the block enough.”

“I wonder where Mary Ruth's van is from here.” Charlotte shaded her eyes, even though she was wearing sunglasses and a floppy hat.

Francine pointed away from where they stood, near Sara's pit, back toward Jake's. “I thought you saw it when we were in the bleachers. Remember where all the catering trucks were parked in the back of the infield? Mary Ruth's pink van is reasonably close to Jake's pit.”

“I guess we'll have to hike all the way back there to get any free samples,” Charlotte said.

Joy cupped her hand around her ear as though she were trying to listen to someone talking to her. That was when Francine noticed she was wearing an earpiece. Joy said to her cameraman, “We've been told to stand by. Sara's getting ready to make a qualifying run.”

“We're here at a good time,” Charlotte said.

The noise level inside the track was even louder than when they were in the bleachers.

Sara's car raced out onto the track. When it did, Joy's cameraman dashed into the pit and set up. He motioned Joy to follow him. The other women moved closer to the pit area but stayed on the outside.

Sara completed her practice lap. When the announcer gave the speed, he said it was the fastest lap of the day. She made her first qualification lap, but it was slower. “Did it look to you like she backed off on her speed?” Francine asked. “It looked like it to me.”

Charlotte nodded. “It did, and I'd say it was deliberate.”

Sara's second lap completed her qualification run. It came in a little faster but still behind the quick practice lap. The announcer said Sara Baggesen had the fastest qualification time so far. Francine was suspicious.

The crowd cheered for Sara. “Sounds like she has a lot of fans here,” said Marcy. She moved into the pit to get closer to where Joy and the cameraman were finishing setting up.

There were no other qualifiers at that moment, so the noise abated while Joy did her interview, which was broadcast on a couple of giant screens. Joy congratulated Sara, asked a couple of soft questions, then said, “You blistered the track with your practice lap, but then you seemed to back off on your speed. What was going on with your car?”

“It felt a little loose,” she said, “and I wasn't comfortable at the corners, so I had to take a bit off the speed. But the qualification run ought to hold up. It's pretty fast.”