Smart House (22 page)

“I never said they—”

Charlie was smiling gently at her. “It’s all right, Beth. I know you never said they were, but close your eyes and see that scene in your mind’s eye. They were carrying something, weren’t they? One of them, or both of them, Beth?”

She blinked finally, then closed her eyes. After a moment, she cried, “Both of them. I thought books, but they weren’t books, were they? The little computers! It must have been the computers!” Her eyes opened. “I thought it was just the paranoia, everyone afraid of everyone else. And they had no reason to be afraid of me, neither of them. That’s what I focused on. That’s what was so awful. I never even gave a thought to anything in their hands. How did you know?”

“It had to be something they had that made them dodge you that way. As you said, neither of them had a cause to fear you. But a private demonstration of the computers, that was different. That was serious business that Gary wasn’t ready to share with anyone but Jake yet. I suspect that sometime during that day or evening Gary programmed in a command either to keep Jake from getting a new weapon or from learning his next victim, or even both, and Jake knew it and didn’t even try, and that’s why he didn’t go for Rich when he had a chance. You were his last victim, in the game anyway. From all accounts he was an avid game player, just like Gary. It didn’t add up.”

Beth was nodding. “They had been down there by all the valves and gauges and things. Holding the computers.”

“And later, to add a bit of confusion, Jake used the computer again to release poison in the greenhouse. Not to hurt anyone; he chose his time, after all, but to lead the police there, to the demonstration rooms, the little experimental atmosphere-controlled rooms where people could be suffocated. He was trying hard to force them to look for a human killer. He was doing all he could to keep Smart House out of it.”

“You jumped to that conclusion just because Jake didn’t try to get Rich when he had a chance?” Harry looked angry and sounded disbelieving. “For Christ’s sake! I never got a victim all weekend!”

“But you weren’t reported closeted with either Gary or Rich all afternoon and evening the way Jake was. From late afternoon on, he seemed to be with one or the other every time anyone reported his presence. They were showing him everything, together, and separately, each with his own game plan, no doubt. Rich wanted to start showing the house to potential buyers, and Gary wanted to continue researching artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Jake was the largest shareholder after Gary; he was the one to convince. When Rich went up in the elevator with Milton, Jake stayed behind in the office. And no one saw him again until he came back down with Beth at eleven-ten or a little after. During that time, he found the key to the main computer and began trying it out. Beth, you told us he could recreate up to ten chess moves; he had a phenomenal memory for details, and during the day he had seen many computer operations, remember. We know Gary kept the little computers in his office, and Bruce overheard him demonstrating them to someone. And Gary had made use of the secret elevator, no doubt about that, but he must have used the manual controls. Why not? It wasn’t computer locked, the way the bedrooms were. Why would it have been? No one knew about it yet except Gary and Rich and Jake. So the little computers were in the office and Jake was in the office.

“And now things changed. Jake could unlock the weapons cabinet and get his new weapon. Remember, he wasn’t planning murder or anything else at that time; he was playing the game.”

Charlie turned to Laura. “After Rich witnessed for Milton, you all went to the library to record the kill, right? And Rich seemed to be in a hurry?”

“Yes.”

“He knew Jake was in the office. So he went back, and Gary showed up with his popcorn maker and popcorn and oil, and in the next few minutes Jake managed to get Rich and Gary in the little elevator together and locked them in with computer control. He must not have had a weapon yet or he could have taken Rich out the second Gary joined them, but he didn’t. So he put them both on hold and went out for a weapon. And he probably was taking his time, in no rush because he knew where his victim was, along with a witness. He locked the elevator at the basement level so that no one would be likely to hear if they got mad and pounded on the walls. This is the crucial time period. Everyone is accounted for except Jake. I told you people notice each other more than they realize, and they did. But Jake was out of sight for half an hour or longer. Anyway, he got his squirt gun and then went up the stairs to the roof. We know that because the main elevator was in use about then, Maddie was coming down. It takes a little time to get up three flights and he was in no particular hurry. Five or six minutes after he closed the little elevator door and locked it at the basement level, he called it up there and opened it to find two dying men.”

Maddie lost her control then and began to sob. She buried her face in her hands and rocked back and forth.

Harry stood up abruptly. “This is pure fantasy. You don’t have a shred of proof. Horseshit! Why not in Gary’s office, if he had the computer? Or the bedroom? Any other room?”

“If anyone saw him entering the office or Gary’s room, the game would be up. Remember the computer-locked doors. He wasn’t supposed to be able to open either room. And people were milling about all over the place, potential witnesses. The first floor? He would have had to go through the garden room, behind the pool, around the back hallway, and, again, too many people. He liked fun and games as much as Gary did, I take it. He wouldn’t want to give away the secret elevator any more than Gary did at that point, and he didn’t want to risk having someone tag along and upset his plan to get Rich as soon as the door opened. One witness, Gary, was all he wanted on hand, because he was playing the game. He had outwitted Gary, solved the computer puzzle, got his weapon, locked them in. He must have been feeling pretty triumphant. He opened the door and found two dying men in the little elevator.” He stopped and rubbed his eyes absently. His voice was tired when he resumed.

“You heard what he said about that part. He tried to revive Rich, couldn’t, and finished them both off in a way that he thought would make the police go after a human killer, not link the house and computer to the deaths.” He paused, then went on briskly. “And Laura and Milton came up before he was finished. He had dropped the water gun without a thought, no doubt. Milton picked it up; as soon as he mentioned it, he was tagged the next victim. This time it was a deliberate decision.”

Charlie stopped and looked at Maddie. She was sitting rigidly upright watching him fixedly.

“So, now they were both dead, and Jake had to move fast. He started the automatic popcorn maker to establish that Gary was still alive at approximately eleven-fifteen, hurried back to the secret elevator and got the blueprints from Gary’s office, and put them and two of the little computers in the elevator. He let himself out of Gary’s bedroom on the second floor and raced to his own door and pretended to be leaving just as Beth was coming out of her room. They went down the stairs together, and he left her on the first floor long enough to go uncover the popcorn maker, to let out the aroma, and open one of the sliding doors. He imitated Gary’s laughter, and went into the library where he remained until the first body turned up.”

“You couldn’t have proved any of this,” Harry said. “If the fool had kept his head, he would have been home free. That goddamn fool!”

Charlie shrugged. “He framed Bruce, you know. And I suppose he had plans for an untimely death for Laura, just in case she ever began to piece it together. She did see Milton pick up that water gun on the roof. If the fool had kept his head he might have ended up sole owner of the Bellringer Company eventually.”

Beth flushed and ducked her head.

“Anyway, we don’t have to prove any of it. He’s tagged for Milton’s murder, and that’s plenty.”

Harry took a deep breath. “That goddamn fool! You might as well finish this. How did you guess?”

Charlie looked aggrieved. “I deduced it,” he said. “Jake killed Milton on the balcony, wrapped him in a sheet, and trundled him to the cliff where he shot him and then rolled him over the edge. But it all raised questions. Why pick that night to hide the little computer? There hadn’t been any need before there was another death, more searches in store. He could have kept it forever, except for that. Suddenly it was a liability. He could have stashed it in the little elevator, but he needed a victim to frame. So he planted the computer in a pot and made a mess generally with the dirt, left some outside Bruce’s door. He was to be the goat. By then Milton had to be dead, you see. Jake knew Bruce was up all hours, and it was a good bet that he’d be down in the garden before the night was over, to get dirt on his shoes. He was watching to make certain, and when Bruce did go down, he followed in time to see Constance and me in there, too. That made it even better. But then Bruce said something about a gun, and that got a very strange reaction from Jake. He laughed, for him a wild laugh, in fact, because he was shaken by the mention of a gun. He passed it off rather well, but still I had to wonder. And I wondered why he had his contacts in if he really had been sleeping. No one puts in contacts just to get up and get a drink, they simply put on glasses. But if he hadn’t yet been sleeping, why lie about it? And why the pajamas if he hadn’t been in bed yet? What if, I thought, he somehow had messed up the clothes he had worn earlier? Whoever wrestled Milton off the balcony, down to the cliff might well have messed up his clothes. Changing clothes in the middle of the night would have been like pointing a finger at him, so the pajamas and robe, but he forgot about the contacts. Sure enough, his gray slacks are missing, the ones he wore yesterday. And Bruce mentioned the gun, not because he had one, but because he had heard a shot and had not consciously identified it as a shot, but part of his brain knew. By the time we met them both in the garden, Milton was already dead.

“So there it is,” Charlie said with an air of finality. “He switched stuff from his room to Milton’s room and wiped off his prints, but his ashtray is missing, a heavy mahogany ashtray with a crystal bottom. Mrs. Ramos assures us that the inventory about which accessories were in the various rooms is correct. Eventually she might have noticed the switch, but no one asked her. I expect that Dwight Ericson will find the sheet, Jake’s slacks, and the ashtray off the rocks at the north end of the beach.” He glanced around at them all and added without expression, “No one knows about that stupid game of murder. I’ll send you a written copy of my report, and God help you all. Satisfied?”

Harry closed his eyes briefly, then glared at Charlie. “He could have beaten it. A good lawyer would have got him off.”

“And left Bruce holding the bag,” Charlie said dryly. He held out his hand to Constance. “Let’s hit the road.”

“Beth, don’t leave yet,” Harry said sharply when she stood up also, a look of revulsion on her face.

“There’s the company to consider, our plans for the future…”

“Go to hell,” she said. “You can talk to my lawyer as soon as I sign one on.”

“He killed my son,” Maddie said suddenly in a cold, furious voice. “I intend to cooperate with the police in any way I can to have him found guilty, even if it means talking about that insane game.” She stood up and walked out.

Bruce began to laugh.

At the door of the room Constance glanced back once. Harry was seated on the deep couch, scowling at nothing in particular; Laura was across the couch from him, frozen faced. Behind them both the immensity of the Pacific Ocean stretched out forever, and for the first time Smart House looked small, insignificant. The shareholders of Bellringer Company looked like motes against that infinity. Constance took Charlie’s hand and they walked out to their car.

Beth was waiting for them. She held out her hand, first to Charlie, then to Constance. “Thanks.” She looked past them at Smart House. “Gary, Rich, Milton, Jake. They were the real brains of the company. It’s over and done with now. All of it.” She stepped closer and swiftly kissed Charlie on the cheek, and then said gravely to Constance, “I won’t forget you. I owe you a lot.” She turned and ran to her car, got in, and drove off fast.

“There goes a potential millionaire. Millionairess? Anyway, thirty, eligible, rich, pretty.”

Constance held his hand firmly. “Free,” she said. “None of the rest matters very much.” They went to the rented car and got in, started out the wide driveway, up the hill. “I’m just glad to be away from that place,” she murmured when they made the curve that took Smart House out of view.

“I knew it was a killer the minute I set eyes on it,”

Charlie said, and started to hum in the tuneless way he did.

“Before you set eyes on it,” she said lazily, and rested her hand on his thigh the way she did.

“Right. You know the trouble with geniuses?”

“Tell me.”

“They think they’re so damn smart.”

He looked at her sharply, because in his head he heard her soft voice saying,
Yes, dear, but I forgive you.
She was gazing out the window at the sculptured grounds, smiling slightly.