Vi Agra Falls (29 page)

“You mean Doug overhearing Johnny threaten Vi before the party?” Judith nodded. “That only came out when Barry tried to cut a deal and mentioned it to the cops. I missed some little things—like the casinos. Joe told me that Doug and Barry worked in several places. I interrupted him when he mentioned Paris, Rio, New York—and when he said ‘new' again, I thought he was going to say New Jersey or some other place that began with ‘new.' If I'd let him finish, he'd have said New York New York, and I would've realized he didn't mean cities, but Vegas casinos. The brothers returned from Vegas at the end of July. Doug found Charles Brooks's wallet and kept it. After the murder, Doug made ID difficult by planting Brooks's wallet in his victim's pants. He must've dumped Johnny's own billfold.”

“Maybe,” Renie suggested, “it ended up in that Dumpster after the party. That must've been a terrible mess to search.”

Judith nodded. “It could've been ditched anywhere.” She sighed. “Terri never saw her dad at the party. He came early. Until she found his body, she figured he was a no-show. That didn't surprise her—he wasn't reliable. She probably got there after he was already dead.”

“Another factor,” Renie pointed out, “was time of death. Johnny was killed much earlier than the M.E. figured.”

Judith batted at a bumblebee that was circling her glass. “Yes, before Herself's show got under way. Rochelle mentioned that Hamish Stein had seen a sedan parked in front of Vivian's house that looked like the same one he'd spotted the night before the murder. It was gone by the time the party started. The cops checked out the rental agencies, and learned that someone named Di Marco had rented it Saturday. The car was found late last Friday in the parking garage by the civic center at the bottom of the hill.”

Renie nodded. “The brothers had to get it out of the way after they killed Johnny. Good God, they have to be two of the dimmest criminals you've come up against.”

“Oh, yes,” Judith agreed. “They acted on impulse—no plan, no thinking ahead, just suddenly discovering their mama wasn't a rich widow after all and seeing a Do Not Enter sign on Easy Street. It's a wonder they didn't put the body in the rental car and leave poor Johnny in the parking garage. But they couldn't do that in broad daylight. The freezer was their answer. Except for the party ice, there wasn't anything in it. As the waiters, Doug and Barry were the only ones who needed to go down to the basement to fetch the ice. They took all of it, threw a blanket over Johnny, and put him in there. But they didn't want the body to freeze because it'd be harder to move, so they unplugged the unit. Arlene and I noticed that later, but it didn't sink in. It took a while to defrost, so the chill factor altered the M.E.'s calculations. The basement floor got wet, and so did the blanket. Terri mentioned that, but it went by me. Poor girl—sleeping downstairs with her dead father's body!” Judith shuddered. “No wonder she was a wreck when she got to the toolshed.”

“Why didn't she go to the cops?”

“I think she believed that Vivian was in on it,” Judith replied. “It made sense. She'd want Johnny dead, too, if he threatened to expose the illegal marriage to Potsy. Terri stalled, trying to figure it out on her own.”

“Do you think Vivian knew who killed Johnny?”

Judith shrugged. “Who knows? Her brain's addled by so much booze, straight thinking is questionable.”

“So Terri turned the tables on the brothers,” Renie murmured. “She was in real danger, too. They may've intended to get rid of her.”

“Or at least get her out of town,” Judith said. “They couldn't
be sure how much she knew. When they offered to take her for a spin in the Aston Martin, she realized that all three of them couldn't fit in it. She thought fast, figuring she could be in danger. Herself's Bentley had just been delivered, so she suggested they try it out. She insisted on calling me when they stopped—not at Bartleby's, but at Buster's Café a couple of blocks away. Then she phoned Billy and told him to come down—fast. That's when Caitlin got into the act. Billy told her Terri sounded scared. Caitlin suspected the worst of the brothers, and with her knowledge of chemicals she whipped up a version of a Mickey Finn so Billy could slip it into the brothers' drinks.”

“Caitlin was lucky that Billy was willing to cooperate,” Renie said. “Of course, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain by nailing Doug and Barry.”

“Right,” Judith concurred. “The Bentley was parked behind the café. It didn't take long for Doug and Barry to get groggy. Buster's clientele of hard drinkers are often unable to walk on their own. Billy and Terri hauled the brothers out the back way and into the trunk.”

“I'd like to have seen that,” Renie mused.

“Me, too,” Judith said. “Of course, Terri had no proof, but when she discovered her dad's body, she realized that the only person who'd insisted she stay in the basement was Doug. Somehow he had to be connected to the crime. He had a motive, of course. I'd figured Johnny was there after Ray Campbell mentioned the cop who said, ‘Here's Johnny!' adding, ‘Where's Johnny?' It indicated he'd been there, but was gone. What threw me off was the stated time of death.”

“Wow,” Renie said softly. “You're one of the two people in two million who actually listens to what others say.” She smiled at her cousin. “Of course, that's why even strangers bend your ear.”

“I guess,” Judith said modestly. “Hey,” she said, glancing at her watch, “I'd better scoot.”

Both cousins got out of their deck chairs. “How's Vivian taking it?” Renie asked as they entered the kitchen.

“Not as badly as I hoped,” Judith replied ruefully. “She's going ahead with the condo project. Billy is willing to back her, maybe as a thank-you for her generosity to him. Besides, he doesn't want her raising hell, because he and Adelita got married over the weekend. Terri told me he and his bride are heading for a new life in Hawaii.”

“Buying off a wife who was never a wife,” Renie murmured. “A novel concept. But I'm sorry about the condo thing.”

“So am I,” Judith said. “I really don't know how I can keep the B&B going with a huge construction project practically on our doorstep. The noise alone will wake up the guests. I'll have to shut down.”

“Coz, you can't!” Renie protested. “It could be for several months, and—”

The phone rang. Renie picked it up from the counter. “Oh, hi. What's new?” She listened for a full minute and began to smile. “Really. Very interesting. Tell Bub thanks. Talk to you later, Bippy.”

“What's up?” Judith inquired.

Renie didn't look her cousin in the eye but focused on some bananas in a fruit basket on the counter. “Um…family stuff with Bill's brother, Bub, and his wife, Bippy.” She suddenly clapped a hand to her head. “I forgot to bring Oscar's picture back! How could I? Can I swing by after Bill comes back with Cammy?”

“Glad to see it go,” Judith replied. “I put it in a kitchen drawer.”

“You're mean,” Renie said.

“And you're lucky,” Judith responded. “I almost tossed it.”

Renie's expression turned menacing. “You want to be the next corpse in your neighborhood?”

“I've had enough excitement lately. 'Bye.”

When Judith arrived home with her groceries an hour later, Joe was on the phone in the kitchen. He didn't look happy. “Thanks for the heads-up,” he said, and rang off. “That was Smith. Or was it Wesson? I can't keep those patrol cops straight.”

“And?” Judith said, setting three Falstaff bags on the counter.

Joe didn't answer right away. He folded his arms across his chest, gazed through the window over the sink, and uttered a big sigh. “Smith and Wesson thought we'd like to know that a bulldozer is heading our way. They had to direct traffic at the bottom of the hill because the bulldozer was blocking an intersection. They asked the guys who were towing it where it was headed. The address is the Swanson house.”

“Oh, damn!” Judith exclaimed. “I've been hoping,
praying
, that would never happen! What'll we do?”

Joe shrugged. “What
can
we do? I noticed earlier that a U-Haul was parked in front of Vi's. I suppose her house is next to go.”

Judith went to the computer and reviewed her upcoming reservations. “I'm almost completely booked up through Labor Day. How can the guests cope with the noise and the mess and…Oh, it's a disaster! I was hoping Herself wouldn't start construction at least until the end of September.”

Joe came over to Judith and put his arm around her shoulders. “I know. It's rotten luck. But our hands are tied.” He kissed her forehead. “You got more groceries to unload?”

Judith nodded.

“I'll do it,” he said, and went out the back way.

When he returned with four more bags, his expression was grim. “The bulldozer is pulling into the cul-de-sac. Renie was just ahead of it.”

“She's here?” Judith said. “Oh, that's right. She's come to get Bill and Oscar's picture.” Opening the drawer, she removed the framed photo. “I'm too upset to think about how goofy Renie and Bill are.”

“I heard that,” Renie said, entering the rear hallway.

“Sorry,” Judith said, noticing that her cousin was carrying Oscar, but in no mood to ask why. “You saw the bulldozer?”

Renie nodded. “I had to drive around it to get into the cul-de-sac.”

Judith handed over the photo. “I'm trying to figure out how to deal with this. I can't bear to call Ingrid Heffelman and ask her to relocate all the guests.”

“Wait until you know the construction schedule,” Renie advised.

“Well…maybe,” Judith said as Joe headed into the dining room. “These projects don't always get under way on time.”

“Come on,” Renie urged. “Let's see what's happening.”

“No.” Judith refused to budge.

“Stop doing your usual head-in-the-sand thing. I'll bet Joe's out front, taking it all in.”

“Let him. It's his ex-wife. Or not his ex-wife.”

“I'm going to have a look,” Renie said, heading for the front door.

Judith remained in the kitchen, waiting for the racket that she figured the bulldozer would make.
The sound of doom
, she thought. After a few minutes she could hear nothing except the schoolhouse clock ticking away the time.
Ticking away my income
.
Ruining my B&B
.
Destroying our cozy neighborhood
.

At last she decided to join Joe and Renie. They were standing on the porch. The bulldozer had been unhitched and was sitting by the corner. Vivian was talking to a young man wearing work clothes and a hard hat. The truck that had brought the bulldozer drove off.

“I decided I might as well see the mayhem,” Judith said, noticing that Arlene was on the sidewalk with Rochelle and Naomi. She waved to the three women, who waved back. Rochelle then made a vigorous thumbs-down gesture and shook her head.

Vivian was acting coy, wagging a finger at the young man, who Judith assumed was the bulldozer operator. “But it's the ride of my life!” she cried and tugged gently at the man's sleeve. “Please, sweetheart. I simply have to christen this project myself.”

He hesitated, but finally stepped back. “I'll have to drive.” Climbing onto the bulldozer, he extended a hand to Vivian. “Here we go.”

Vivian went. She slipped, lost her balance, seemed to fly into the air, and came down hard on the concrete in a flurry of purple, magenta, and gold caftan. Her scream was agonizing.

The workman cursed aloud and jumped off of the bulldozer. Vivian's screams turned to moans and groans. Joe hurried from the porch and across the cul-de-sac. Arlene, Rochelle, and Naomi moved closer for a better look.

“Why,” Judith said to Renie, “am I unsympathetic?”

“You know why,” Renie said, looking smug. “Shall I call nine-one-one?”

Judith stared at her cousin. “I'm not doing it. Go ahead, use your cell. And what's up with you?”

“Nothing,” Renie replied, setting Oscar on the porch swing and digging her phone out of her purse. “Nice work,” she murmured.

Joe was kneeling next to Vivian, who was still moaning and groaning. The bulldozer operator was talking on his cell.

“Help's on the way,” he shouted to Joe and Vivian.

“Good,” Renie said, descending the steps. “I don't have to call.”

A white sedan with a city logo pulled into the cul-de-sac and
stopped. A middle-aged Hispanic man got out, holding a manila envelope. Curious, Judith followed Renie, who'd stopped on the lawn by the small sign bearing the name of Hillside Manor.

“I'm looking for a woman named Vivian Agra,” he said, staring at Herself's writhing body. “I hope this isn't her.”

“I'm afraid it is,” Joe said. “Can I help you?”

“I'm Horacio Benitez,” the man said, handing the envelope to Joe. “You can give this to Ms. Agra when…she's feeling better.”

“What is it?” Joe asked.

“A cease-and-desist order for a condo project,” Benitez explained. “The paperwork was signed by a Vivian Buss, which turns out to be an illegal name, voiding the permit requests. Furthermore, the city has reason to believe that the project should never have been green-lighted. There's been a reinterpretation of the zoning and variance laws in this neighborhood.” He moved toward his car. “Have a nice day.”

“My God!” Judith gasped. “I can't believe it!”

“I can,” Renie said calmly as Arlene, Rochelle, and Naomi cheered.

Judith's eyes narrowed. “Coz, what do you know that I don't?”

Renie feigned innocence. “Bub and Bippy came to dinner Sunday to have some of Bill's salmon. I mentioned the project, and that Vivian wasn't who she claimed to be. Bub's legal expertise is developers and zoning and property rights and all that, so he promised to look into it.” She shrugged as the city car pulled out and a medic van pulled in.