Brody expressed his shame with a fit of giggles while he returned the sprinkler to its original position.
Savannah grabbed a paper napkin and wiped off her face. “As I was saying before that unexpected cloudburst,” she continued, “Patrice worked for Carolyn as a vet assistant for a while and both seemed to enjoy their arrangement. Then Patrice had an unpleasant run-in with Stephen, and he fired her on the spot.”
“What sort of run-in?” Dirk asked.
“An honest-to-goodness, literal run-in. Carolyn said the staff was having some sort of emergency. They were scurrying around the clinic, all in a hurry. Patrice was carrying an uncovered urine specimen in a cup. She came rushing around a corner, ran right into Stephen, and spilled a large amount of Saint Bernard pee all over the front of his brand-new bespoke suit.”
Dirk laughed. “Oh darn.”
“Yeah. Terrible.”
“But how could Erling fire Patrice? She was his wife’s employee.”
“I don’t think he gave a hoot about such things as staying out of your spouse’s personal business. Carolyn told me that she regretted not standing up for her employee. She’s thrilled that Patrice agreed to come back, and any hard feelings that were between them appear to be gone.”
“Then where is Patrice on our suspect list?”
“I guess close to the bottom. All I had was a weird feeling about her. But hearing what happened with Stephen, it all came together. Like why he was so mad that Patrice had dropped by his birthday party to pick up her check.”
“Was Patrice working at the clinic at the time of the break-in?”
“No, she’d already been fired.”
“Where was she that night?”
“Carolyn said the two of them met for a glass of wine at El Viñedo, that nice, new bar down on the beach. She said they drank and talked until the place closed at eleven.”
“That’s not much of an alibi for Patrice. She could have broken into the place any time after she left Carolyn and before the clinic opened the next morning. Or Carolyn could have been lying to cover for Patrice.”
“Or herself or both of them,” Savannah added.
He finished his beer, stood, and walked over to the grill. He opened the lid and began to baste the tri-tip with more marinade.
“How about the movie theater security videos?” she asked, watching him. “Any sign of Melissa and Jerry?”
“Both. Clear as can be. Going into the complex at ten to nine. Leaving three minutes after the movie ended at eleven-o-five.”
“Darn.”
“Yeah.”
“What if they snuck out a back door after it started and came back before it ended?”
“I thought of that. I called Ryan and asked him if he’d pull some of his strings at the bureau and find out if their phones were there at the movie the whole time.”
“Good idea.”
“Hello! Hello!” shouted a deep voice as the side gate to the backyard opened and Alma, Freddy, and Ethan came through. “Ah, there you are,” Ethan said.
“We just followed our noses,” Alma added. “It smells like heaven back here!”
“Dirk’s been working on that for half an hour,” Savannah told them, pointing to the grill. “Your timing is perfect. The tri-tip’s almost done.”
Brody came bounding across the yard, dripping wet from his sprinkler adventures. He ran straight for Freddy and said, “Do you have your swimsuit with you, buddy? I hope so. We can run around in the rain!”
Ethan looked at Alma, who shook her head. “I’m sorry, Brody,” Ethan told him. “We didn’t pack a suit for him, but we’ve got spare diapers.”
“He can play in the water in a diaper?”
“He certainly can.”
Alma knelt to remove Freddy’s shirt, shorts, shoes, and socks, and a moment later, the three-year-old was running with Brody to the flower garden.
“I’m going to go relocate that sprinkler,” Dirk said, “before one of those boys steps on a peony and incurs my wife’s wrath.”
“Savannah takes her peonies very, very seriously,” Alma told Ethan, who was obviously pretending to be interested.
Savannah noticed him glancing back at the gate a couple of times. She offered him one of Dirk’s beers and said, “Paparazzi problems again?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t know how they got wind of our wedding, but they did, and now they’re popping up everywhere.”
“Literally out of bushes!” Alma said. “I never saw the likes of it. A couple of them was hiding in our oleanders when I took some trash out this morning. I was in my robe, my hair hanging down, just minding my own business when there they were, taking my picture.” She sighed and shook her head. “If I’d known they were going to be there to greet me so early in the day, I’d have at least brushed my hair and worn one of my pretty robes.”
Ethan gave her a sideways hug as they settled down at the picnic table. “I’m sorry, honey. I hate it that you have to put up with this.”
“It’s part of the job of being Mrs. Ethan Malloy, and considering the perks, I don’t mind.”
Savannah slid a large bowl of tortilla chips and smaller bowls of guacamole and salsa over to them. “I hate it that either one of you has to deal with rude people. But those photographers can sell a picture of Ethan Malloy’s bride-to-be for fifty thousand bucks, maybe more if she’s in an unattractive bathrobe.”
“Infuriating but true,” Ethan said. “That’s why we just came from ReJuvene. We had a really great offer from Ryan and John, and we’ve decided to take them up on it.”
“What’s that?” Dirk asked, rejoining them at the table.
“We were over there, talking about food just now, and we mentioned that the paparazzi knows we’re getting married, even our venue, and they’re all over us. Twenty-four-seven.”
“What was the really great offer they made you?” Savannah asked, having a pretty good idea what it was, but knowing they would want to make the announcement.
“They said we could move the whole thing, the ceremony and the dinner and party afterward, to their place.”
“The restaurant?” Dirk asked.
“No,” Alma replied. “That gorgeous old mansion they’ve been restoring.”
“Yuck.” Dirk shuddered. “That place was a junkyard, the world’s worst hoard when that old gal died. Don’t tell me they’ve got it cleaned out already.”
“Cleaned out, refurbished, and refurnished. It’s absolutely breathtaking,” Ethan said. “The perfect place for a wedding.”
“The paparazzi have no idea that you’re changing venues,” Savannah said. “Brilliant! I love it!”
“I like the idea of us marrying in a friend’s house rather than a chapel-for-hire,” Ethan continued, “and having our reception in our friends’ home instead of a sterile, soulless catering hall. I’m very happy about the change, and more importantly, the bride is, too.”
Savannah had been wondering about something, but she’d been afraid to ask. Something told her she shouldn’t, but her curiosity often triumphed over her virtue.
“Ethan,” she began, “are your parents going to be able to join us for the wedding?”
He looked a bit sad, and for a moment she regretted that she had brought it up.
“No,” he said. “They aren’t in very good health, and flying is such a miserable experience these days. Needless to say, driving from Texas would be an ordeal for them, too. We’ll go there and visit soon.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Savannah said. What she didn’t say was that she’d seen pictures of Ethan’s parents, and they didn’t look old or particularly infirm. She was sure that, if they really wanted to fly, Ethan would arrange luxurious transportation for them. Either first-class accommodation on a commercial flight or even a private plane.
She recalled when she and Ethan had first met, he’d told her that he and his father had disagreed strongly about his career choice. His dad was a self-made cattle rancher, who was horrif
ied to hear that his son wanted to be an actor rather than continue the family business.
Unfortunately, having his son win an Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe, not to mention become one of the highest paid actors in history, hadn’t changed Dad Malloy’s mind.
Savannah felt sorry for the Ethan and for the father who had chosen his own ambitions over his son’s dream and lost his boy in the process.
What a loss it was, too, Savannah thought as she watched the way Ethan anticipated Alma’s every desire, passing her chips, getting her a napkin, filling her glass with tea, and gazing at her lovingly between each action. She saw the way his eyes lit up when his son and Brody came running by, splashing water everywhere, laughing.
She laughed when he grabbed his boy, hugged him, and got soaked for his troubles.
Ethan Malloy was a true family man. If his own family had been foolish enough to turn their backs on him, then their loss was the Reid clan’s gain.
“By the way,” Ethan said, turning to Dirk, “we have an important message to give you from Ryan.”
“What’s that?”
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but he said you’d understand.”
“Shoot.”
“He said to tell you, ‘Both phones were inside the theater the whole time the movie was playing.’”
“Oh. Okay. Gotcha.”
“Is that code?” Alma asked. “Like ‘the fox has now entered the chicken coop’ or ‘Red Bear has engaged—most meaningfully—with Blue Eagle’?”
“We’re cops,” Dirk told her. “Not spies. We’ve got 10-codes when we want to say something sneaky.”
“Ten-four, good buddy!” Brody shouted as he sailed by in pursuit of his younger friend, who was on his way back to the sprinklers for another dousing.
“We’ve gotta watch what we say a little closer,” Savannah said. “That kid doesn’t miss a thing.”
Chapter 31
After their company had left and the kitchen cleaned, Savannah, Dirk, and Brody settled down for a quick Disney film before bed.
As usual, Savannah was in her chair with Diamante, and the “boys” were sprawled on the sofa with Cleo.
Usually, this was one of Brody’s favorite times of the day. But tonight he seemed subdued and thoughtful.
Finally, Savannah paused the video and said, “Is there anything I can get you guys before we hit the sheets? Some hot chocolate or . . . ?”
“No, thank you,” Brody said. “I’m okay.”
He wasn’t okay. Savannah knew that. Mr. Brody Greyson never refused food and especially anything with chocolate in it.
She liked to think he took after her side of the family in that respect.
“Is somethin’ up, son?” Dirk asked, obviously as aware as she was of the change in the child’s mood.
“Yeah. I like this show, but . . .”
“But what?” Savannah prompted.
“Remember when you guys told me before that if I wanted to ask you something I could?”
“Sure. That’s one of those forever offers,” she assured him. “It never expires.”
“Good, ’cause I wanna ask you something about Ethan and Alma.”
“All right.” Dirk nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. “Speak up. Whaddya wanna know?”
“Ethan said his parents aren’t coming to the wedding.”
“That’s true. They aren’t,” Savannah admitted, though she warned herself that anything she told the boy about the situation might be repeated. Loudly. At the wedding. Little-boy candor might be fun most of the time, but not in the middle of a marriage ceremony with witnesses and videos galore being recorded.
“Why not?” Brody wanted to know. “Isn’t it a rule that parents have to be at their kids’ weddings?”
“Most do it that way,” Dirk told him. “But there’s no set rules. It’s not always possible.”
“I think Ethan’s folks could’ve come. If they’d really wanted to. If I was Ethan, I’d be mad.”
“Whatever’s going on with Ethan and his parents, that’s between him and them,” she told him. “It isn’t our business.”
“I’m just wonderin’,” Brody protested.
Dirk gave him a hug. “The less you worry about other people’s business, Mr. Brody, the happier you’re gonna be in life. I guarantee you.”
“How about Alma?” he asked, undeterred. “Is her dad gonna walk her down the aisle?”
“No,” Savannah said, her heart sinking by the minute. “He’s not really . . . around.”
“If my daughter was getting married, I’d be around, for sure!”
“I know you would,” Savannah said. “You’ll be a wonderful father someday.”
“Is Alma’s mom coming? Hey, wait a minute. Her mom is your mom!” he said to Savannah, proud of himself for having figured out the family tree. “Is your mom gonna come?”
“No,” Savannah replied.
“She didn’t want to come either?”
Savannah hesitated, wondering whether to be open or to guard painful family secrets from the boy. At least a bit longer.
Then she thought about their admonition to him about being honest and speaking the truth at all times.
She had to practice what she preached. Kids noticed such things and held it against their elders if they caught them doing a no-no they had forbidden them to do.
“I don’t know if she wanted to come or not,” Savannah said. “I suspect that Shirley doesn’t even know about the wedding, and that’s probably for the best.”
“Shirley? You call your mom by her name?”
“Yes. She prefers it that way.”
“Why isn’t anybody telling her about the wedding?”
Savannah took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Then she said, “Brody, my mother has an illness called alcoholism.”
“I know about that. She drinks too much booze.”
“Yes. She does. She drinks so much that it changes who she is. It makes her into a person who’s very hard to be around. Even for those who love her.”
“What does she do? Does she hit people?”
“She has. But mostly she says terrible, hurtful things to people and ruins special occasions.”
“That’s not good. Special occasions are, you know, special. You have fun at them and then you have fun again later when you remember them.”
“True. Like Alma and Ethan’s wedding. That’s going to be one of the most important and happiest days of their lives. We wouldn’t want anything or anybody to ruin it for them. They deserve to have a good time and make good memories to enjoy for the rest of their lives.”
“Then you don’t have to invite your mom to your wedding if you don’t want to?” he asked.
“I didn’t,” Savannah told him.
Brody turned to Dirk. “Did you invite your mom?”
“I didn’t know her then. I was given up for adoption. I didn’t meet my real mom and dad until last year.”
“Then does that mean when I grow up and get married, I don’t have to invite my mother either?”
“No,” Savannah told him. “You don’t. Like we told you, when we had our talk upstairs, you can choose not to ever see her again if you want.”
“That’s what I want!”
“I understand,” Savannah said. “Believe me, I do.”
Dirk tightened his arm around him. “Savannah’s mom was a whole lot like yours.”
“She was?”
Savannah nodded. “She had to go to prison, too.”
“Was she mean to you guys?”
“Yes. Not like your mom, but . . .”
“Did she hit you?”
“Yes. But mostly, she was just really not good at taking care of kids, and that was because of the alcohol.”
“She shoulda learned how to take care of you guys the right way. You can watch videos on the computer that show you how to do almost everything.”
Savannah chuckled. “That’s true. Unfortunately, we di
dn’t have Internet back then, you know, when dragons were in charge of lighthouses.”
Dirk reached for the remote. “Is that all?” he asked. “Wanna get back to the show?”
“There’s one more thing. Remember when you guys told me that I had to tell you guys the truth. The whole truth and all that stuff?”
“Yes, we remember,” she told him.
“I reckon there’s some true stuff I need to tell y’all, ’cause somebody else didn’t tell you the truth, like she should’ve, and I think it might be important.”
Dirk sat up to attention, and so did Savannah. “Okay, kiddo. Let ’er rip. Let’s hear it all.”
“In the backyard, you guys were talking about Dr. Carolyn and Patrice, and when Patrice spilled pee all over Dr. Erling.”
“Yes . . .”
“That wasn’t an accident.”
“Really?” Savannah felt her own pulse quickening. She suspected Dirk’s was, too, by the flush of his face. “How do you know?”
“I was there. I saw it.”
“You saw Patrice spill the urine on Dr. Erling?”
“No. I saw her throw it on him. The whole big cupful. She threw it on his face, and it got all over his clothes, too.”
Dirk said, “Tell us what you saw, son. Everything you remember.”
“I remember it all. It happened quick, so there isn’t much to remember. Me and Dr. Carolyn were checking on a puppy who’d been sick, but he was getting better, and we heard some people arguing really loud in another room. Dr. Carolyn told me to stay there with the puppy, and she took off to find out what was going wrong.”
“Let me guess,” Savannah said. “You didn’t wait. You followed her.”
“Sure I did! I thought if they were bad people who were yelling at each other, then she might need help.”
“You followed her and what did you see?” Dirk asked.
“I heard Patrice yell at Dr. Erling and say, ‘I hope you rot in . . . um, H-E-double hockey sticks.’ ’Cept she didn’t say hockey sticks or spell it out. If you know what I mean.”
“I know what you mean, Brody,” Savannah said. “You heard her say that and then . . . ?”
“Then Dr. Carolyn ran in the room where they were, and I ran in after her and that was when Patrice threw that pee all over Dr. Erling. He was really surprised at first but once it sunk in on him—the Saint Bernard pee, that is—then, whoa, he was madder than the snake that married the garden hose.”
A Few Drops of Bitters Page 22