Perplexity on P1/2 (Parson's Cove Mysteries) (5 page)

     “What the dead woman looked like? Was there blood all over the place? How did she die? They say people who are murdered have terror etched right into their face. Did she, Mabel? Did she have terror etched into her face?”

     I stared at her tear-stained face. “You’re worse than me, Flori. Of course, there was no terror etched in her face. At least, not much. She looked exactly like she looked the last time I saw her. Well, she didn’t have quite as much color in her face. And, of course, there wasn’t the bullet hole…”

     “There was a bullet hole?” Her hand went to her chest again. “Oh Mabel, I don’t want to hear any more.” She shuddered. “Was it a big one? Where was it?”

     “No, it was really small. So small, in fact, I almost couldn’t see it.” I pointed to the spot between my eyes. “It was right here.”

     “Do you think she suffered?”

     “I don’t think she even knew what hit her.”

     “Well, I suppose that’s a blessing. Did you print some of the pictures of her from the trip? I think I’d like to see what she looked like when she was alive.”

     “Actually, I have several pictures of her. I’ll have to show them to Reg. Then, he’ll know for sure I’m telling the truth.”

     Flori collapsed in the other chair.

     “What’s happening, Mabel? Why would a woman from your trip end up being murdered in our little town?”

     “I don’t know but I think it might have something to do with the threatening phone call I got.”    

     “Threatening phone call? You got a threatening phone call? What are you talking about, Mabel Wickles?”

     Well, I tried to explain in ten words or less, but it wasn’t that easy. Flori tends to gasp and interrupt often.

     “Which reminds me,” I said, during a gasp break, “I have to take my phone over to Reg. He wants Captain Maxymowich to listen to it.” I stood up. “Would you mind staying here and keeping shop a bit longer, Flori?”

     Flori’s eyes glistened with tears. “Of course, I don’t mind. Please, be careful. Maybe I should see if Jake would walk home with you. I could phone him right away.”

     “No, Flori, Jake doesn’t have to walk home with me. No one’s going to shoot me in broad daylight. I’ll be fine. Try to keep my breakfast warm somehow. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”

     Poor Flori. That ten minutes turned into something much longer.

     “You know Captain Maxymowich has been waiting for you, Mabel,” Reg said, with a frown, as soon as I walked in the door, as if I were telepathic or something. I knew he’d arrived because two strange patrol cars sat in the parking lot. Reg is a good small-town cop but whenever there’s something serious, like a murder, he is relieved of his duties. Not that they tell him he is, that’s just what happens. They swarm into his station and suddenly, there’s no room for Reg and his two boys.

     “Hello, Mabel.” The Captain stood in the doorway to Reg’s office. His voice wasn’t loud and booming but somehow, it filled the room. It certainly got my attention. Captain Maxymowich hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him. In fact, I could swear he was wearing the same wrinkled navy suit.

     I’d met the Captain two years before. There had been a murder in Parson’s Cove that time too. Actually, I might not have been involved at all, except the murder took place in the house right behind mine. Reg can be thankful that I happened to be looking out my kitchen window in the dead of night and spotted the two people carrying out a body. That was the first time Reg had to call Captain Maxymowich and his crew to Parson’s Cove to solve a crime.

     At first, he terrified me. He was standoffish; he was insensitive; he slouched. His white hair was combed straight back. White hair on a young man. At least, to me, he was young. I doubt he was over forty-five. And those eyes - pale blue and piercing. All through that horrendous interrogation, he tapped his pen on the table and never once looked up at me. To say it was unnerving, would be putting it mildly. I didn’t see him smile until the case was closed and then I got a glimpse of the ‘other’ Marlo Maxymowich.

     “Hello, Captain,” I said. My heart pounded at the same rate it had when I hit a patch of black ice last winter. He wasn’t smiling and he was still intimidating.

     “Why don’t you come into the office and we can talk there?” He stood aside to let me in and then closed the door before anyone else could follow. I sat in the wooden chair facing Reg’s desk, still clutching my phone to my chest. Maxymowich sat in Reg’s leather chair with the armrests. I’m sure Reg was cringing. He bought that chair a few months ago and planned to take it home with him when he retired. No one sits in that chair but Reg.

     “So, how have you been, Mabel?” He didn’t smile but there was a hint of one in his eyes. One thing I have to say about the Captain is that when he asks a question like that, he really
does
want to know the answer. Not, you know, how some people say, ‘how are you?’ and then move on before you answer.

     “Well, I have the usual aches and pains that everybody over sixty has, I guess. About a month ago, I had this terrible cold but I ate garlic and drank lots of orange juice. Flori made some chicken soup for me. She makes it for everyone who has the sniffles. Other than that, I’ve been keeping pretty well.”

     “I understand you won a trip to Las Vegas?” He raised his eyebrows.

     I nodded.

     “Tell me about it.”

     “Well, I saw this ad in the paper. Not our town paper, of course. The city paper. I had no idea I’d win. I’d never even heard of the cereal they were promoting but I sent the coupon in anyway. Then, about a week later, this man phoned to tell me I’d won. All I had to do was answer a skill-testing question which was really easy and that was it. There were five winners: Sally Goodrich, Andrea Williams, Grace Hobbs and Ralph Murphy. Flori said she would come with me but pay her own way, of course. Then, as usual, she had to cancel because one of her daughters was giving birth again. You remember Flori? She’s my oldest and dearest friend.” (no reaction from Mr. Maxymowich) I continued, “Of course, there was Mr. Hatcher. He was with the cereal company. We didn’t see too much of him but he was helpful and polite. Well, I guess everyone seemed very nice. Our hotel was fancy, although it was a bit too noisy for my taste. The others seemed to like it, especially the two women who spent all their time down in the casino. I don’t know how they could do it. You know, with all the noise. I stood in the doorway for three minutes and my head started to pound. Then there were the other two: Ralph and Sally. They paired off on the second day. It’s a good thing I enjoy doing things on my own. To tell you the truth, I was glad to get home.”

     “I understand the woman who was murdered was on this trip?”

     “Yes. Grace Hobbs.”

     “What can you tell me about her, Mabel? What sort of woman was she? Did she appear worried or apprehensive at all?” There was the touch of a smile on his lips. “I know you’re a very observant person. Tell me anything that might be helpful.”

     “All I know is that she and Andrea were upset that they’d lost quite a bit of money, gambling. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say they did for sure. That’s what we thought. I mean, if you’d lost a little money, you wouldn’t be that upset, would you? Other than that, I really didn’t notice anything. I’m sure she and Andrea would’ve gone on the tours if they hadn’t been so occupied at the blackjack table. Well, there was the food. She told me to make sure to try the chicken fried steak at the buffet.” A thought suddenly popped into my head. “I wonder if she was afraid to go home after losing so much money so she tried to borrow from a loan shark and couldn’t pay it back so he killed her. Or, maybe her husband murdered her because she lost all their savings. Of course, that wouldn’t answer why someone dumped her body in Parson’s Cove, would it? Or, does it have something to do with me? Do you think her murder and the threatening message I got are connected?”

     If he heard any of my questions, he didn’t acknowledge it.

     “Oh yes, the phone message. Could you leave it with me, Mabel?”

     I handed him the phone.

     He smiled - this time, a real one. There’s one thing about someone who always looks so stern - when they smile, it’s like the whole world lights up. It was only for a moment but it made me feel better. I knew that if anyone could find Grace’s killer, it would be Captain Maxymowich. Well, either he would or I would.

     “Now, what about the other people on this tour? What can you tell me about the man? Ralph?”

     “Oh, well, he was okay. In his fifties, I think. He’s divorced and has a boy in college. He and Sally were real chummy for the first couple of days but that seemed to cool off. One of those Las Vegas romances, you know.” (as if I knew anything about that.)

     He nodded as if he knew.

     “And, the other women? This Sally? What can you tell me about her?”

     I couldn’t help but grin. “Well, she was something else. I think she’s had every face lift and laser treatment there is. Half the time, I couldn’t even make out what she was saying, her lips were pulled back so tight. And, trust me, she made it known to everyone that she was divorced and looking for a man.” I shrugged. “That’s about all I can tell you about Sally.”

     “But you say this Ralph had a thing for her?”

     “Big time.”

     “Now, the other one? What’s her name?”

     “Andrea. Andrea Williams.”

     “What did you think of her?”

     It was hard to make such an assessment because all of a sudden, instead of remembering positive traits, I was wondering if she was a murderer.

     “What did I think of her? I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think anything. She was just kind of ‘there.’ Know what I mean? Andrea didn’t really stand out in my mind. She was nice enough. Maybe a little quiet compared to the others. That’s about all I can think of.”

     He nodded. “That’s good, Mabel. If you think of anything, write it down and let me know. Write down whatever comes to mind, even if it doesn’t seem relevant.”

     He picked up a file and started to read. I think it meant that he’d dismissed me.

     I stood up and walked to the door.

     “Oh, there’s one other thing, Mabel. Could you spare a couple of minutes right now and come down to the morgue with me? I’d like you to identify the body.” He looked up. “We want to make sure it’s who you say it is.”

     My stomach tightened and there went any thoughts of eating breakfast.

Chapter Six

     It ended up that I not only had to part with my phone, Reg said Maxymowich wanted my pictures also. Not the ones of the desert or the dam or my hotel room unless, of course, some of my travelling companions were in it. 

     “Don’t worry,” Reg said. “If any of them get ripped or lost, we’ll pay to have another one printed.”

     “Well, that’s a nice offer,” I said. “But, I erased them all from my memory card so this is all that I have.”

     He shook his head. “Now, why would you do that? Didn’t Merlin tell you to get them put on a CD?”

     “Of course, he did. And, it might be a wonderful idea except I don’t have a computer so there really was no point, right? They cost enough as it was.”

     He grunted. “Okay, we’ll take good care of them.” He slipped them into his inside jacket pocket and walked out the door. Before he got to the curb, he turned around and stuck his head back in. “Next time, get the CD anyway. Don’t be so cheap.” With that, he slammed the door and left.

     Flori gave me a worried look. She tends to do this if she knows I haven’t eaten in the past couple of hours. Or, if someone like the Sheriff, is upset with me.

     “Oh, Mabel, your breakfast is ruined. The eggs are gray and dried out; the ham is as hard as rock.” She looked up at the clock. “Besides, it’s lunch time now.” She gathered up all the dishes. “I’m going to run home and bring you some lunch.” She looked at me beseechingly, “Please, try and stay here until I get back.”

     “Are you kidding? I will. No one is going to get me to leave here, no matter what. This has been a dreadful morning. I hope I never see another dead body for as long as I live.”

     “Trust me, I hope you never see another one either. Or, go looking for one. This is just as stressful on me as it is on you.” Her eyes filled and her bottom lip quivered. “I wish you’d never told me about that phone call, Mabel. I told Jake that you should come and stay with us for a while. At least, until this murdering maniac is caught.”

     I walked over and put my arms around her and the dishes. Mostly, the dishes.

     “I’ll be fine, Flori. I know Jake doesn’t want me underfoot. Besides, I’m sure he didn’t really agree, did he?”

     “Of course, he did. I told him it was either you staying with us or me staying with you.”

     “Flori, go home and make lunch.”

     She grinned. “Okey dokey.”

     A half hour later, she was back and we were sitting, slurping up homemade cabbage soup with a dollop of sour cream on top and homemade bread slathered with butter. My eyes watered from the garlic fumes. When we were finished with that, I poured the coffee and Flori brought out two gargantuan cinnamon buns, which she proceeded to slather with more butter. At least, Flori comes by her weight honestly.

     Gossip travels around Parson’s Cove faster and gathers more momentum than a tidal wave does. All afternoon, people came in and out. Fortunately, I guess their consciences were starting to bother some of them; at least, I did make several sales. By the time it came to close the store, I’d heard everything from Grace being stabbed in my backyard to Reg being shot in a high speed chase.

     “Can you imagine?” I said to Flori, who had kindly come back to walk me home. “How do people come up with this stuff? You won’t believe what Pattie asked me.”

     “What?” Flori’s eyes were big. She loves good juicy gossip, especially if it’s something Pattie might print in the local newspaper.