Neighborhood Watch (31 page)

“I was in the bedroom. Sol was trying to protect me, keep me from getting too upset so I didn’t know how bad our economic situation was. The bank was already threatening

foreclosure; we had fallen behind on homeowners fees, as well as other bills. It was all there on the desk in black and white beside his slumped body,” she said and took another deep breath.

“You want to know what I think? I think he fell asleep. They came into the house. They knew how to disarm the alarm at the front door. They brought the pistol; they put it in his hand and they pressed his fingers around it and made it seem as if he pulled the trigger.

That’s what I think,” she concluded.

“Why do you say they?” she asked, thinking about Marilyn Slater’s comments about the shadows. “Did you hear anyone come into the house?”

“No. I just heard . . . the gunshot. It was so loud. I screamed and for a few moments, I couldn’t move. Finally I got up slowly and inched my way toward the office, calling his name. Then I saw him. I remember screaming and screaming. I went to the front door and screamed for help, and wonder beyond wonders, our super security guards were at the house in no time.”

“Which ones?”

“Spier and Stark,” she said and closed her eyes. “Then the police came and you know the rest.”

Kristin nodded and gazed around at the dreary setting.

“Don’t you have any family to go to?” she asked softly.

“Sol’s family blames me.”

“Blames you?”

“They think I instigated his battle with the home-owners and destroyed our economic well-being.”

“But surely you’ve explained . . .”

“It’s complicated. Somehow, they made me look like the bad one. You know how

charming and generous Slater can be.”

“What about your own family?”

“I have only a sister, who has problems of her own. She’s in the middle of a vicious divorce involving custody of her two children. My mother’s dead; my father’s in a

nursing home.”

“Any friends here?”

Elaine laughed.

“Most of our friends were in Emerald Lakes.” She sighed. “I’m just waiting to settle the financial matters and then I’ll disappear in the woodwork, just as Phil Slater and his crew want. I’m tired and besides, they have all the cards . . . the power, the money, the influence. What do I have? I don’t even have our baby,” she said, her lips quivering. “I don’t even have our baby.”

Kristin rose quickly and went to her. Elaine clung to her for a few moments and then took a deep breath.

“It’s not worth it. Whatever you hoped to do isn’t worth it. If you’re not comfortable being sheep, sell and move out,” Elaine said.

“My husband still thinks he can change things. He became a member of the board.”

Elaine pulled back.

“Member of the board? So soon?”

“Phil Slater appointed him to replace someone who had resigned.”

“What do you want from me?” Elaine suddenly demanded, her face expressing the same

look of paranoia Angela Del Marco’s expressed when Kristin had told her about Ted’s appointment.

“I just wanted to know the story, to see if there were any resemblances to what had just happened. They’re out of hand there. They’ve formed a Neighborhood Watch patrol and

—”

“What else do they want from me? Why did they send you here?” Her eyes were wide,

the pupils brightening with illumination lit by the terror.

“No one sent me, Mrs. Feinberg,” Kristin said, trying to remain calm. “I remembered our meeting in the supermarket that day and—”

“Get out!” Elaine screamed and pointed to the door. “Get away from me. Leave me

alone. Leave me alone!”

“All right. Please. Don’t get yourself upset. I’m telling you the truth,” Kristin said, but she backed away. Elaine shook her head and muttered.

“Get out. Get away.”

“Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Kristin went to the door. After she opened it, she turned. Elaine Feinberg was sitting with her shoulders against the chair, clutching the thick arms with such intensity, the muscles and veins in her neck and face tightened and flexed against her skin. She resembled a woman in the electric chair. The sight put a finishing chill in Kristin’s heart and she retreated quickly, hurrying down the sidewalk to her car. She drove away without looking back.

14

“YOUR DISPATCHER TOLD MEI could find you here,” Kristin said.

Lieutenant Kurosaka turned from Detective Martin whose eyebrows rose to fold ripples of surprise in his forehead when he saw Kristin approach. He and Kurosaka were on the sidewalk in front of Rings and Things, concluding a preliminary investigation of a

burglary at Sandburg’s only jewelry store.

“Mrs. Morris.” Kurosaka stepped away from Martin and the store owner, a tall, thin, mostly baldheaded man whose dark eyes were filled with bewilderment and tragedy.

Kurosaka just nodded in his direction and muttered, “He was robbed and he doesn’t have enough insurance.”

“Oh. I’m sorry,” Kristin said glancing back at the slumped, sad figure.

“So? What brings you here with such urgency?”

“I was on my way home from a talk with Mrs. Feinberg,” Kristin said, “when I decided to stop and talk to you.”

“Feinberg?”

“The woman whose husband allegedly committed suicide in the house we now own,”

Kristin said. Kurosaka nodded. Nothing in his face revealed any reaction. His black eyes remained as unfathomable as ever.

“Allegedly?” he finally offered and relaxed his lower lip to the preamble of a smile.

“She never believed that was what happened. She told me Detective Martin investigated that death?”

“Oh. That was before I arrived, but I do know a little about it,” he said, glancing back at Detective Martin. “Is there something new?”

“I wondered if you might find it interesting that the two residents of Emerald Lakes who challenged the homeowners association are both dead, and the two security guards who were on duty on both occasions were Spier and Stark.”

“Not unusual or unexpected. Both events occurred at night when they’re on their shift.”

“They’re not always on the night shift,” she retorted instantly, anticipating his response.

“I see. You still think they’re upset about being accused of misconduct?”

“It goes deeper than them, Lieutenant. There are some people in my development who

are . . . shall we say, over the top. I really think they have some serious delusions of grandeur.”

Kurosaka’s face moved further along toward a smile.

“What Mrs. Feinberg just told me makes sense,” Kristin continued. “Her husband did

have money problems, but they had a great deal to look forward to, not the least of which was a child. All I’m asking you to do is to take another look at things. Go back and question Spier and Stark some more. Rattle some cages. Do what Columbo does,” she

added in frustration when he continued to simply stare. Finally, he smiled.

“My grandmother used to say a stopped clock is still right twice a day,” Kurosaka said.

Kristin grimaced with confusion. “Do not underestimate the apparent lack of movement,”

he explained. “Give me some time to reconsider some of the things you’ve said.”

“Then you do suspect something too, don’t you? Don’t you?” she demanded without

disguising her excitement.

“Let’s just say I’m not drawing any conclusions just yet,” he replied, “and leave it at that.

I am aware of Mr. Feinberg’s file,” he offered, “but again, thank you for your assistance.

Now, I must go back to this unfortunate incident. Oh,” he said, turning back to her. “For the time being, don’t mention this to anyone.”

“I don’t discuss it with anyone anymore,” she said. “Not even with my husband,” she concluded sadly. He nodded and returned to Detective Martin.

Buoyed somewhat by Kurosaka’s small revelation, Kristin returned to Emerald Lakes.

Spier was on duty when she drove up. Rather than simply opening the gate, he stepped out of the booth and approached. He carried his clipboard.

“What do you want?” she demanded. His mere presence intimidated her at this point.

“Mrs. Morris.” He tipped his hat and then tightened the lines in his face. “Carl told me you were unwilling to tell him where you were going or how long you would be gone.

When you do that, you only make our job harder.”

“What is your job, Mr. Spier?” she responded with a firmness that threw him off balance.

“What?”

“Your job description. Let me hear it,” she ordered. “You open and close this gate and ensure that unwanted visitors don’t make entry, correct? What else?”

“We patrol. We . . .”

“Serve and protect? Go on. What else? Whom do you work for?”

Spier didn’t respond.

“It’s a simple enough question, Mr. Spier,” she said.

“I work for the homeowners association,” he said sharply.

“I’m part of the homeowners association, so you work for me. I don’t work for you. I tell you what I want; you don’t tell me. Now open the gate.”

His eyes were brilliant with rage and the corners of his mouth whitened, but he

maintained a correct posture and swallowed hard. Then he smiled coldly and returned to his booth to open the gate. She didn’t gaze at him; she drove through, her heart pounding, but on her face was an almost imperceptible smile of self-satisfaction.

After she calmed down, Kristin worked on her music for the remainder of the day. She found herself writing darker, deeper more intense melodies, but they were some of the best she had done. She greeted Jennifer when she returned on the school bus and then she began to prepare supper with Jennifer at her side, doing whatever Kristin would allow her to do to help. She was pretty good at setting the table. An hour before Teddy was due home, however, he phoned to say he wouldn’t be able to be there for dinner. He had been asked to consult on an emergency operation. A seven-year-old boy had been shot in the eye with a pellet from an air rifle.

“How horrible. Will they save his sight, Ted?”

“It’s possible, but it’s going to be a tricky ordeal.”

“And the surgeon asked for your help?” she said, not without pride.

“I’m not sure if I was chosen for my ability or because no one else in the office wanted the responsibility or wanted to give up the time,” he replied.

“I’m sure it was because of your ability.”

“Anyway, I thought I’d eat with the staff over at the hospital. Everything all right there?”

“Yes,” she said quickly.

“I could go home and eat and hurry back, but it would be foolish.”

“We’re all right, Ted. Really.”

“If you’re sure,” he said. After a pause he added, “I called you earlier today. You weren’t taking one of your infamous nature walks, were you, Kristin?”

“No. I just ran a few errands,” she said. She wasn’t comfortable lying to him, but she didn’t want to tell him about her conversation with Elaine Feinberg.

“All right. If I’m going to be very late, I’ll phone. Give Jen a kiss for me.”

“I will. Good luck.”

“Thanks. Love you,” he said and hung up.

Jennifer was upset Teddy wasn’t coming home for dinner. There were so many things

that had happened at school and she was exploding with the need to tell it all. Teddy was being a better listener than she was, Kristin thought. She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering, despite her effort to be attentive. The moment darkness fell and the

streetlights came on, Kristin’s thoughts returned to Elaine Feinberg and Lieutenant Kurosaka’s small, but significant revelation of doubt. If only she had one more thing to offer him, she thought, something concrete.

She went to the front window and gazed out at the street. In an hour or so, the

Neighborhood Watch patrol would begin. She wondered who was on duty tonight and if

they would come rapping at her door with some new complaint or some other suggestion.

The ringing of the telephone drew her to the receiver in the living room.

“Hello.”

“Kristin,” Teddy said, the tone of his voice so heavy that for a moment she didn’t

recognize him. “Where were you today?”

“What? Ted?”

“Where did you go?” he asked dryly.

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Phil Slater called my beeper number and I just got off the phone with him,” he replied in a tired voice. “What are you doing, Kristin? What are you up to?”

“What do you mean? What did he tell you?”

“He said you went to see Elaine Feinberg and you got her very upset.”

“How would he know that?” she wondered aloud. “She wouldn’t call him to complain

about me, Ted. She’s terrified of him and the whole crowd.”

“Never mind that, Kristin. Why did you go there?” he demanded with more firmness.

“I wanted to find out more about the death of her husband. And I’m glad I did. Mrs.

Feinberg doesn’t believe her husband committed suicide; she never did and she has good reason not to believe it, Ted.”

“Kristin.”

“You might as well know I went to see Lieutenant Kurosaka, too.”

“What? Jesus.”

“And he has some similar thoughts.”

“What similar thoughts? What do you mean?”

“We’ll talk about it when you come home. Why did Philip Slater call you?”

“He wanted to know what you were up to. He was afraid you were stirring things up.

What similar thoughts? What did Lieutenant Kurosaka say exactly?”

“Why do you think Philip is afraid of what I might stir up?” she countered instead of answering his question.

“Why? Because there’s enough negative publicity about our development since Angela’s murder.”

“How did he know I went to see Elaine Feinberg, Ted? Did he tell you she called him?

Did he?”

“Whatever you did or said to her frightened her and she did call someone who called him, I think,” Teddy replied.

“Because she thought he sent me,” Kristin surmised.

“Whatever, Kristin. It doesn’t matter. I thought you were leaving this alone. I thought you were going to let the police do the police work. You’re at the end of your second trimester of pregnancy, just past that point when—”