Till Death Do Us Bark (6 page)

Viv cocked her head. “I know that look. What’s going on?”

“On? Oh, I’m just trying to figure out what to wear. Are we in mourning? Because unless you count a pair of black linen walking shorts as funeral wear, I didn’t bring anything appropriate for a wake.”

Viv swung into a sitting position and the lump under the covers at the bottom of the mattress moved. Inch by inch, the Jack Russell crawled out, then jumped to the floor.

“Mr. T didn’t get enough sleep,”
he complained.
“Yak, yak, yak, yak, yak.”

“Me, neither,” Viv continued, almost as if she was agreeing with her boy. “But the Calvin Klein summer collection is subdued. Shades of white and beige, with a bit of color thrown in the mix.” She went to the dresser, where she opened a drawer. “My guess is we should stay close for today, out of respect. I can give you a tour of the house while we hang out.”

Good idea
, thought Ellie. If she was looking for answers to the doctor’s death—which she wasn’t—a tour would be a good way to start. She faced Rudy and Mr. T, who were staring at her from the floor. “Think you two can wait to go out until after I take a quick shower?”

“Of course they can,” said Viv.

“Of course we can’t,”
muttered Twink.

Rudy just sat there grinning.

“I’ll be quick,” Ellie promised. “You’ll watch them, right?” she asked her roommate.

“Sure, but I could find Maria. She’s supposed to be in charge of the dogs.”

Ellie pulled clean underwear, a pale yellow tank top, and knee-length beige shorts from the drawer. “I thought so, but she wasn’t with them last night. In fact, I don’t remember seeing her after the family get-together began.”

Viv, busy removing the tags from her Calvins, said, “She’s just a kid, so who knows where she was?” Then she raised her head. “And don’t think you’re fooling me by changing the subject. I’m on to what you’re doing.”

“Doing? What am I doing?”

“You’re gathering clues, in case the doc’s accident turns out to be murder. And don’t deny it, because I can hear the gears turning in your head.” She sat back on the bed, a pair of white cropped pants and an orange off-the-shoulder ruffled blouse in her hands. “Now I know how Sam feels when you start gunning your snoop engine.”

“I am not ‘gunning my snoop engine,’” Ellie pronounced, insulted. “I’m just trying to make sense of things. Who was where, doing what, when the accident happened? Stuff like that.” She ducked into the bathroom and stuck out her head. “I’ll be finished in a couple of minutes.”

“Rudy’s following you,” called Viv.

Ellie inspected the beautiful bathroom, its stall shower, sand-colored marble tiles, double sinks, a rack holding piles of towels, and a private commode area. “Wow. This is three times the size of my bathroom back home.”

“I guess.” She started the shower and pulled a big fluffy turquoise-colored towel off the rack. “Are you feeling lonely, or did you want to talk?”

“Both, I guess.”
He circled the plush turquoise rug and curved into a sit.
“Is Viv right? Are you collecting clues? Because like you’ve been saying, this is supposed to be our vacation.”

Stepping into the stall, she soaped up with a shower gel that turned into a luxurious lather rich with the scent of roses, and ran the washcloth over her body. “I guess, but not really. It’s just getting to be a habit, trying to make things fall into place. I’ve never met the doctor, so I don’t know anything about him. What kind of medicine did he practice? Why would someone want to kill him? That sort of thing.” She rinsed, turned off the pulsing jets, and got out. “And I’m curious about the layout of this house, too. There are too many rooms and entrances to keep track of.”

She hadn’t washed her hair, but the steam had helped tame the frizzies, so she ran her fingers through the curls. After dressing, she added mascara, a swipe of blush, and a bit of lip gloss to her morning face. “Okay, that’s it. I’m ready to deal with ditzy Arlene, Viv’s family, and the rest of a crowd fresh off the death of an almost family member.” She stooped and gave her boy an ear rub. “Are you going to stick close, or lounge with the other dogs in the outside pen?”

“The Boston Terriers belong to Arlene,” she said in a whisper. “So she might want them with her to help her through this tragedy.”

“Might be the best place for ’em, especially if they’re ticking off Mr. T.”
He stretched from head to toe.
“Are you telling Viv the truth?”

“About the snoop—I mean, questions?”

“Kind of. But something Viv said last night got me thinking.”

She ignored the snarky comment. “Viv said if the doctor was murdered that I’d owe her a hand in solving the crime, just as I did for my other friends who got in trouble. She means Rob and the professor and the rest, and you know how I feel about friends in need.”

“Hmm. You’re right, and that logic could be my way out of a sticky situation.”

“So you think I
should
do a little investigating?”

“His name is Wheeling, not wiseass. And I won’t get in his way. I just want to get the details straight in my mind, is all.”

She opened the door and Viv scooted past her. “Sorry. Nature calls. Take Twink and head downstairs without me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

 

Ellie stood at the bottom of the stairs and surveyed her surroundings. With all that had gone down yesterday, she’d never had the time to really inspect the house. Now, here in the entry, she noted the display of shells scattered artfully across the foyer table. They varied in size, but each was polished white or pearly pink, and some were cut in half to show their amazing construction. The scent of fresh paint drifted in the air, and the tile floor sparkled, confirming Viv’s admission that her sister had gone overboard to get the place ready for a wedding. The other walls, a subdued ecru, held a variety of oil and pastel paintings, with an eclectic display of shell-covered wreaths and family photos hanging alongside them.

Two baskets filled with tall, graceful dried fronds flanked the archway leading to a dining room. A large multicolored area rug in the palest of shades covered the room’s sand-toned tile. On the other side of the foyer was a matching archway that led to the huge sitting area she’d waited in last night, while beyond that she spied what looked to be a spacious screened porch.

All the furniture appeared to be made of either distressed oak or high-grade rattan. She wasn’t an expert, but between her mother’s chatter on artwork and design, and Viv’s antique hunting, she could tell these were quality pieces.

Walking through the dining room, Ellie admired the beautiful furniture. The table could easily seat twelve, the sideboard was massive, and the smaller pieces, each holding an array of pottery or sea glass, were well matched.

“Move it along, Triple E,”
said Mr. T.
“It’s time to get where we’re goin’.”

“Knock it off, T,” she warned him. “No smart-mouthed pooches allowed this week.”

Continuing into the kitchen, she again admired the enormous room with its wood-planked floor and vast U-shaped cooking area covered in dark speckled granite. It was there she saw Teresa, Rosa, and Julio’s eldest daughter, standing at one of the two sink stations scrubbing pots. Terry, as she asked to be called, turned when she heard Ellie and the boys shuffle in.

“Help yourself to the buffet breakfast on the table. Most of the family is on the terrace, so feel free to join them or bring something up to your room.”

Surprised the girl was so chipper after last night’s incident, Ellie said, “Have you seen Ms. Millman?”

“Arlene? Not yet.”

Arlene? Calling her employer by her first name sounded a bit too friendly, but the girl was barely twenty. “We only met for a few seconds yesterday. I’m Ellie, a friend of the bride’s youngest sister.”

“I remember.” Terry dried her hands on a dish towel and stooped to canine level. “This is your baby Rudy, right?”

“Well, hell-ooo, dolly,”
Rudy said, nuzzling his snout in her hand.

Ellie tapped her boy’s butt with the toe of her sandal. Terry was cute and almost elfin in stature, but she had a woman’s figure and bearing. “With all the four-legged guests roaming around, you have a good memory. Yes, that’s Rudy. The other dog is Mr. T. He belongs to Arlene’s sister Vivian.”

Terry scratched T’s ears. “Hi, big man. You are such a sweetie.”

Holding back a
tsk
of disapproval, Ellie grinned. “Is Maria in the pen? I’d like to drop the boys there before I get breakfast.”

Terry’s expression grew somber. “Maria is busted up about the doc’s death. I don’t know when she’ll be down to do her share of the chores.” She returned to the sink and began to scrub. “But she’s only a kid. She’ll get over it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Ellie, wondering why the teenager was so deeply affected by the doctor’s death. “Was he treating her for something?”

“Treating her?” Terry gave a muffled snort. “Not any longer.”

“Oh, well . . .” No need to ask for more. She was not on duty in this case. “I guess I’ll take the dogs down. See you in a few minutes.”

She nodded a good morning to Viv’s mom and dad, who were sitting at the largest outdoor table, and continued to the pen, where she opened the gate and shooed in Rudy and T. “Be good. Someone will be here to look after you in a while.”

Rudy ignored the Jack-a-Bee she assumed was Greta nosing his behind.
“I want a real walk, Triple E. Don’t be gone long.”

“Me, too,”
T demanded.
“The sooner the better.”

“Let me eat first. Then I’ll be back to pick you up.” She climbed the steps and headed to the kitchen, where she took a helping of what could be called a breakfast burrito and a bit of fresh fruit. After adding coffee, she went to the terrace, shaded from the morning sun by a huge rollout awning. Though other guests were up and about, speaking in whispers at the smaller tables, she decided to sit with Viv’s parents, Vanessa and Evan McCready.

“With all the commotion yesterday, we didn’t get to talk, Ellie,” said Vanessa. “Vivian speaks very highly of you, so it’s nice to finally chat with you in person.”

“I’m happy to meet both of you, too.” She smiled at Evan, who was scooping scrambled eggs onto his toast. A thin, gray-haired, and handsome older man, he hadn’t said anything since she’d sat down, which Ellie found strange, given the way he’d bossed her around the night before.

Vanessa, also thin and attractive in a sorority sister sort of way, stirred her tea. “We’re only sorry the evening turned into such a tragedy, aren’t we, dear?”

Evan stopped scooping his eggs. “Damned nuisance, if you ask me. It was ridiculous for the police to get involved.” His upper lip curled. “I talked to that detective by phone this morning and convinced him we didn’t have to move out of the cottage. Just had to promise to stay out of the first floor and keep the downstairs door locked whenever we left the building.”

“I’m glad you did,” said Vanessa. “It would have been too big a chore to repack and drag everything back to the main house. Of course, we could have asked Rosa and Julio for help, but I hear they have their hands full with their son.”

“Arlene pays them, doesn’t she?” Evan asked, then said, “I still don’t like the cops nosing around.”

“I think that for Arlene’s peace of mind, it’s best we know what really happened, don’t you?” said Ellie.
And why are you so certain the police shouldn’t have been called?

“Isn’t it obvious? The man tripped and hit his head when he fell. Seems black and white to me,” Evan answered.

Just then two cars pulled into the cottage lot, one a BMW, the other a late-model touring car of some kind, maybe a Bentley. The drivers got out and walked to the front door, chatted a bit, and returned to their cars. Then they pulled out with tires squealing and disappeared up the drive.

“What was that all about?” said Ellie.

“Looks like patients, if you ask me. The cops posted a sign on the front of the cottage that said the doc’s office is closed. Guess it’s up to them to find another physician.”

“Someone should record a message on his office phone, saying his practice is closed,” suggested Ellie. “I’m sure that would help Arlene and keep people from driving in at all hours.”

“I imagine I’ll be the one to take care of it. Arlene is a mess right now, and Adrianne is no better. Maybe Evan could—”

“Ha! Not me. I’d just start spouting that the man was inept, so clumsy he couldn’t walk straight and killed himself with a trip,” said Evan.

Ellie held her tongue, reluctant to point out that when someone tripped they usually fell forward, and the doctor had fallen backward, which made what happened to him odd. “I believe the police always arrive when there’s a nine one one call. The EMTs must have thought something wasn’t right.”

When Evan glared, she decided to ignore him and concentrate on Vanessa, who seemed more approachable. “What do you think happened?”

“I have no idea. Martin is gone, so it really doesn’t matter. Arlene’s my worry now.”

“So you didn’t know the doctor very well?”

“Evan and I only met him once before. When we invited them over, Arlene always said he was busy with patients, so we had little interaction.” She sighed. “Adrianne spent time with both of them while the house was being painted, so she’d have more to say on the subject, I’m sure.”