The Beast (29 page)

The man seemed wary. “Yeah. Sure.”

“Do it by yourself or did you call someone?”

“If it’s just tightening a bolt or screwing in a light plate, I did it myself. If it was a major plumbing problem, I’d call someone.”

“Okay,” Decker said. “How often do you fix stuff for Mr. Penny? Once a month? Once a week?”

“Not even once a month. Three, maybe four times a year. And only for the two apartments that were on top of each other. The others . . . the units that were next to his apartment . . . I never went inside. And after what you found in there, I know why he never let me in.”

“That’s sort of why I wanted to talk to you this morning,” Decker said. “Do you have any idea how he got hold of all those venomous snakes and fish and insects?”

“He got hold of a tiger. I would imagine fish and snakes are easier than that.”

“Did you ever see any packages that were marked
livestock
or
live animals
or something like that?”

“No,” Paxton said. “You’re telling me that you can buy poisonous snakes and have them delivered in the mail in a box?”

“Mr. Penny had to get them from somewhere.”

“Well I never saw anything marked
dangerous
or
poisonous snake
! Jesus, I would have called the police, okay?”

“Did Hobart Penny get
any
deliveries?”

“I know he got his groceries delivered. I know he had medicine delivered, but beyond that, I couldn’t tell you.”

Decker said, “His animals were well cared for. Who tended to all the cages and fish tanks?”

“Like I’d know? I didn’t even know he had snakes and fish.”

“You’re the manager. You’re supposed to know.”

“Look, Lieutenant, I admitted that I bent the rules with Penny. But I wasn’t his nursemaid. There are dozens of units in that building alone. I’ve got enough to do without spying on the guy.”

“But you did notice the ladies. And you did open doors for them.”

“He paid me a few bills to let them in.”

“How much is a few bills?”

“Twenty dollars a pop. I did it around six times. One hundred and twenty dollars. It’s not exactly a killing.”

Interesting choice of words.
Decker said, “You opened the door for these hookers around six times. But you’re telling me that you didn’t know anything about the tiger. Or his snakes and fish and spiders. Am I supposed to believe that?”

“Believe what you want, but it’s true. If I knew about that shit, I would have called the police. A few skanks giving head to an old guy, I’m not gonna say anything. But a tiger or a rattlesnake? I mean, c’mon!”

His facial tics said he was clearly lying, but Decker moved on. “When the police went inside Mr. Penny’s apartment, it was a sty because the tiger had made a mess. What was it like when he was alive? You were inside and I wasn’t.”

Paxton looked genuinely confused. “It was an apartment. It had a couch and a table and a bed.”

“Neat? Sloppy?”

“I guess it was neat. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture. Just the basics.”

“Did he have a computer?”

“Not that I saw.”

“A flat-screen on the wall? A DVR player?”

“He was eighty-nine and a recluse. I don’t see him as the high-tech type.”

“Lots of elderly people have TVs and they’re ripe pickings for robbery. Did he appear to have anything of value?”

“If he did, he hid it under the mattress.” Paxton pinkened. “I just meant that I didn’t see anything valuable.”

“Would you be willing to come into my office and answer these questions while hooked up to a polygraph?”

“Are you kidding me?” The gnome threw up his hands. “Yes. Sure. Next week? I’ve got a busy schedule this week.”

“How about a week from today? Two in the afternoon?”

Paxton exhaled. “Fine. I’ll come in. But the answers will be the same. The guy was eccentric but I guess most rich people are.”

Decker paused. “One more thing, and this goes back to robbery as a motive for his murder. I know you said that Mr. Penny lived very simply. Did you ever see anything hanging on his walls?”

“Nope. The man lived like a monk.”

“With hookers going in and out?”

“I didn’t mean he was a monk. Just that his unit was pretty empty.”

“No artwork of any kind?”

Paxton’s laugh was unsettling. “Are you kidding me?” Another laugh. “Jesus, the man was weird with a capital
W
. You saw what he collected and it certainly wasn’t art.”

A
S MARGE PULLED
the car into a dirt lot, a thin figure wearing jeans, a jacket, and hiking boots came out of a trailer. She had straggly blond hair that stuck out from under a ski cap and wore gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off. Marge shut off the motor and got out. “Vignette Garrison?”

“Hi. Welcome.”

“Sergeant Dunn of LAPD,” Marge said. “This is Detective Oliver.”

“Nice to meet you.” She scrunched her forehead. “Do you want to do the tour first, or do you want to ask me questions? If you want to talk, we should go into the trailer. It’s a little warmer there.”

Slowly Darius Penny emerged from the backseat. He seemed to be most concerned about where he stepped, and for good reason. The lot was a muddy mess and his very shiny loafers did not appear to have rubber soles. First, he walked on his tiptoes. Then he gave up. He held out his hand to Vignette. “Darius Penny.”

“Oh my God!” Vignette took his proffered hand and clasped it with her fingers. “Vignette Garrison. I am so sorry about your father. What a wonderful man he was!”

The lawyer winced as he extricated his hand. “Are we talking about the same man?”

Vignette’s mouth opened and closed. “He was wonderful to Global Sanctuary.” When she didn’t get any response, she said, “He loved animals.”

Penny eyed her up and down. “What exactly do you do here?”

“I’d be happy to give you a tour.”

“It’s smells a little ripe for eleven in the morning.” His nose was wrinkled. “Or is that just me.” He exhaled. “How about a summary of the place? I didn’t bring my mukluks with me.”

Marge smiled, but Vignette didn’t catch the humor. She took in a breath and let it out. “We are the last stop for exotic animals that nobody wants or for people who can no longer care for the animals. We are a no-kill facility, unless of course the animal is a grave danger to itself or others. If it wasn’t for places like this, a lot of these animals would have to be put to sleep.”

“What kind of animals do you have here?”

“Everything really. I’d love to take you around.”

“Do you charge admission?”

“Pardon?”

“Charge admission . . . like a zoo.”

“This isn’t a zoo.” Vignette was confused. “Like we’re kinda in the middle of nowhere.”

“So I’ve noticed,” Penny said.

“Mr. Penny, we’re a nonprofit sanctuary. We depend on the kindness of people like your father to keep the place running.”

“Is that the only way you secure money?” the lawyer asked. “From donations?”

“That, private grants, and some government funding. It’s mostly donations. Your father was always so generous with us. He kept us afloat during hard times. And when you run a nonprofit, it’s always hard times.”

The lawyer looked upward at the mountains. Faint animal sounds wafted through the misty air. He sighed. “Well, this is the situation, Vignette.” He made a face again. “In order to perform my executor duties, I have to see your operation.”

“That would be my pleasure.” Vignette’s smile was wide.

Penny said, “Can we take the car through the pathways?”

“No, sir, it’s way too narrow and steep for a car.”

“What about that golf cart?”

“It’s not working, unfortunately.”

“How do you get the animals up and down?”

“We sedated them and take them on a gurney with wheels. Would you like to ride on the gurney?”

When Penny went silent, Vignette said, “If you need to use the bathroom, I suggest you do it now.”

“Where?” Penny asked.

Vignette pointed to a porta potty.

Penny exhaled. “The pains of being a middle-aged man.”

Marge said, “I’ll use it after you.” She watched him walk away and then turned to Vignette. “I need to ask you something and I expect you to be truthful. Did you know that Hobart Penny also kept venomous snakes and insects in his apartments?”

“Of course.”

“
Of course
?” Oliver said.

“Yes, of course. Who do you think looked after everything? I went over every week to feed the animals and clean out the cages and fish tanks. I told Detective Decker that I was at the apartment just a few days before.”

“But you never told the lieutenant about the snakes and the spiders when you spoke to him.”

“He asked about the tiger. He never asked about the snakes.”

Marge was barely controlling her anger. “We had to call animal control and remove everything and fumigate the building because we had no idea what was in there and if any of his creepy crawlies escaped. He had recluse spiders.”

“They’re legal to own,” Vignette said.

“Are you hearing me at all, Ms. Garrison?” Marge said.

“Yeah, I probably should have said something. I was a little freaked-out about the old man dying and then that he was murdered.” She shrugged. “I could have helped you with the removal. Where did you take the snakes? We have a herpetarium.”

“I don’t know, Vignette, you’ll have to contact Agent Ryan Wilner.”

“I could also take the insects. The tarantulas and scorpions I could just set free in the hills. I don’t think we have enough electricity to take care of the fish tanks. I could call up some people I know who would take them . . . certainly the lionfish and the stonefish and the electric eels.”

“Did Mr. Penny pay you to take care of his collection?”

“Of course.”

“How much?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but a hundred dollars plus gas and lunch. It was an all-day affair. First I had to feed the snakes. Then after they had swallowed the prey and were content, I came back to clean the cages. Then I had to do the fish and insects. One hundred dollars was a bargain. But I did it because Mr. Penny had always been so generous with Global Sanctuary. I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else.”

“Did anyone else besides you know about Mr. Penny’s snake collection?”

“The apartment manager would let me into the apartments when Mr. Penny wasn’t available. I don’t know if he knew what was in there or not.”

Marge and Oliver exchanged glances. She saw Darius walking toward them. Even from afar it was impossible not to notice the disgusted look on his face. To Vignette she said, “Don’t say anything to Mr. Penny about what we just talked about.”

“Okay. But why?”

“He’ll get creeped out and he’s in charge of the will. Is that what you want?”

“No, of course not.”

Marge exhaled and raised her eyebrows. “I’ll be right back.”

Vignette whispered to Oliver, “Is he really in charge of the will?”

“I don’t know,” he lied. “Ask him.”

“That would be a little rude, don’t you think?” A pause. “I think I should at least wait until the end of the tour. Show him what we do. I think he’ll be really impressed.”

What planet are you living on
? Oliver said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Where are you going?”

“To use the facilities after Sergeant Dunn.”

“In the interest of time, you can just pee in the bushes,” Vignette said.

As tempting as it was to pass over the Andy Gump, he knew it wasn’t dignified for an officer of the law. “I’ll wait.”

“I should warn you. It’s pretty rank in there.”

Darius came back. “
Rank
is a mild word.” He turned to Oliver. “How long can you hold your breath?”

“You should really just go outside,” Vignette said. “All the guys do it outside.”

Penny smiled. “Go, my man. No need for airs.”

“Where?” Oliver asked.

She pointed to a spot. “It’s completely overgrown. No one will see you.”

Oliver started up the hill, the mud squishing under his rubber-soled oxfords. The air was cold and slightly decayed, but at least it was an open environment.

The advantages of outdoor plumbing.

THE PHONE’S SCREEN
was a number he didn’t recognize. “Decker.”

“It’s Doctor Delaware.”

“Hey, Doc, thanks for getting back to me so quickly.”

“You know, I think we had another occasion to work together.”

“Father Jupiter and the Order.” Decker took a bite of his turkey sandwich. It was after one, and he was hungry. “You worked with some of the orphaned children.”

“Some of them, yes. Do you know what happened to any of them?”

“I know what happened to Vega.”

“I remember her. She was very bright. Is she doing well?”

“Very well. My sergeant, Marge Dunn, actually adopted her legally. She graduated from Cal Tech about a year ago.”

“That’s certainly a success story.”

“Vega’s lovely. A little hesitant socially. Could be because of her
strange upbringing, but it also could be because she’s so brilliant and thinks in another stratosphere. She has a boyfriend, though. Marge is thrilled.”

“Very good news.”

The conversation stopped. Delaware said, “If you could recap the case for me again, that would be helpful. I know I’ll have questions.”

“Sure. Like I told you, I’m dealing with an odd whodunit. Hobart Penny: an eighty-nine-year-old millionaire and recluse who died from blunt force trauma to the forehead. He also sustained a gunshot wound in the back from a twenty-two-caliber bullet.”

“Did the tiger have anything to do with his death?”

“It doesn’t appear that way. Strangely enough, it does seem that Hobart did have a good rapport with the cat.”

“The animal didn’t turn on him?”

“We don’t think so—no bites, deep scratches, or anything to suggest a mauling. What we haven’t leaked to the press was his collection of highly venomous animals—snakes, insects, and fish. All the animals appeared to be neatly confined to their cages or habitats. But we still had to fumigate the entire apartment building because some of the insects were very dangerous and we had no idea what might have escaped or what might have been hiding.”