by Marja McGraw
“You don’t need to. I think I’ve figured out which case it is. After listening to you women talking at the restaurant, I did some research. This is about the Samuel Weston case, isn’t it?”
“Uh, oh sure. That’s it, the Weston case.” I wasn’t about to help her out.
“Ha! This is about Matthew Bremmer. I was testing you. He was the only senior citizen I could find who’d been beaten to death during that time period.” Sharon appeared to be quite proud of herself.
“What is it with you? Why are you so interested in this?” Why wouldn’t she just go away and leave us alone?
“I’m going to level with you. Right now the paper has me doing fluff pieces. I haven’t worked there very long, and if you solve this case and I report it, I could move up the ladder.”
“Can’t help you,” I said.
“Ms. Webster – Sandi – just give me a chance. I promise I won’t get in your way.” She was pushing it.
“Sharon, there are too many people involved in this already.” I stopped and thought for a moment. “Okay, how about this? What if I give you an exclusive when it’s all over, assuming I solve the case? But that means you have to stay away. Don’t dog my steps or bother anyone involved in this.”
“Would you give me some updates as you go along?” Sharon asked.
“Not really,” Pete interjected. “We keep a lid on an open investigation. You could screw it up.”
“Oh, alright. But I am going to check in with you from time to time. I’m a pretty good researcher, so maybe I can be of help.” Sharon looked hopeful. And she was a lot younger than I’d first thought. This was a reporter who’d barely stepped on the first rung of that ladder she wanted to climb.
“I have a good researcher, right here.” I placed my hand on Stanley’s shoulder. “I don’t need any extra help. But thanks.” I’d decided I should probably be polite so that maybe she’d respect what we were doing. Besides, you never know when a reporter might come in handy.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Ms. Stone, we have work to do.” I crossed my arms in front of me and let my body language speak volumes for me.
Bubba had moved in and was busily sniffing her shoes. He glanced up and grinned. Looking down at him, she took a step backward. She looked nervous.
“I’m going, but I’ll be back.”
She walked out of the door and Pete turned on me. “She can have me?”
“You know I didn’t mean that. You’re mine, and I’m yours, and we’re just happy, happy, happy. Right?”
“Yeah, sure.” He looked sullen.
Bubba returned to lie down on the floor near Felicity. He seemed to like her.
I kissed Pete on the cheek. “Okay? Are we okay?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I thought you handled that very well,” Felicity said. “I doubt if she’ll bother you too much.”
She stood up and took a step toward me.
“Look out for – ” But I was too late. She tripped over Bubba’s paw and fell flat on her face. Bubba licked her hand. She giggled while Stanley helped her up.
“I see what you mean about Felicity,” I said quietly to Pete.
Picking up my keys, I knew it was time to make a hasty departure. “Okay, I have to get home. Felicity, it was nice to meet you, and I’ll see you and Stan at dinner tomorrow night.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, checking her skirt for dirt or tears.
“Pete, I’ll see you around seven?”
He glanced at his watch. “Yeah, you and Prudy be ready. I want to be on time, and it’s getting late.” Pete was still miffed at me. Oh well, maybe it was good for him.
I drove home with Bubba in the back seat, thinking about Prudy. When my mother invited Pete and me to Arizona, I certainly hadn’t bargained for anyone like her. And then Dolly briefly slipped into my thoughts. The two women had really hit it off.
I also thought about Stretch and his attitude, and remembered I still had a number of suspects to talk to. How had I ended up with all these senior citizens in my life? What kind of a plan did God have for me? Was I destined to spend my life with old people? The catch was that I liked these old people. They were interesting, they were funny, and they were touching my heart.
Bubba, sensitive to my mood, stuck a huge paw over the seat and placed it on my shoulder. I reached up and patted his paw before he pulled it back.
Old people and a dog. I sighed. And Pete. The thought of Pete made me smile. We went round and round about a lot of things, but Pete was in my present and my future. I wondered how far into my future he’d go.
After calling Dolly on the cell phone, I stopped at an In-N-Out and picked up hamburgers and fries for dinner. We wouldn’t have much time to eat before Pete showed up.
Pulling up to my house, I unloaded my passenger, who made a beeline for the nearest tree. I waited while he finished his business and herded him toward the back yard, where I left him. I didn’t bother to lock the gate. Bubba was well-known in the neighborhood and pretty much had the run of the place. Animal Control didn’t even try to pick him up anymore. Whenever they put in an appearance, the nearest neighbor would take Bubba under their wing and say they were taking care of him. I had a lot of senior neighbors, and they liked having the big lug around to keep an eye on things. Huh. More seniors.
I walked over to Dolly’s place and found the two women sitting in the kitchen again, drinking tea and eating crackers. Prudy was telling Dolly about Brian, and Dolly was commiserating with her.
“When I lost my husband,” Dolly said, “I thought the sun would never come up again. My days seemed so dark. And then one day my granddaughter climbed up onto my lap and cried with me. I tried to perk her up and managed to lift my own spirits in the process.”
“I understand,” Prudy said. “My son was all that kept me going for a while. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I buried myself so deeply into this case. I needed to solve Matthew’s murder for Brian’s sake. I didn’t understand that at the time, but I think I do now.”
Interrupting, I waved the bag of burgers and fries at the ladies. “Let’s eat. Pete will be here soon, and I’ve got to run over and feed Bubba before we leave.” I hated to interrupt their conversation, but I knew they’d continue talking when I wasn’t around.
They were quiet while we ate.
“I remember when the first In-N-Out opened,” Prudy said. “That was back in the forties, too. And I’ve never tired of eating these burgers.”
With that said, she continued to eat. There was no further discussion until the last fry was gone.
“You know they use fresh potatoes for their fries, don’t you?” Prudy asked.
“You can sure taste the difference,” Dolly replied.
I crumpled up the hamburger wrapper and set it aside. “Okay, enough about food. I’m going home to feed Bubba before Pete shows up. Prudy, you come on over when you’re ready.”
She was checking the bag to make sure she hadn’t missed any fries. “I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
Pete picked us up promptly at seven o’clock, and we headed toward Sierra Madre. On the way we discussed how to handle Opal.
“You don’t need to handle her,” Prudy said. “With the life she’s led, she’ll probably handle you.”
We found Opal’s place with no trouble. It sat on a hillside, all by itself, surrounded by a high fence. The gate was open and we pulled up to the front of the house.
We climbed a fairly steep stairway to the front door. Pete helped Prudy along. “Wasn’t there an old movie about a treasure in Sierra Madre?” Prudy asked.
“Yes. Humphrey Bogart was in it.” I love old movies, but I hadn’t seen that one in many, many years.
Pete pushed the button for the doorbell. “Okay girls, let’s see how Opal measures up. Maybe she’ll be more cooperative when she sees Prudy.”
“I don’t care what those women’s libbers say, I love being called a girl.” Prudy was grinning. “Makes m
e feel young again.”
The door opened before I could respond, and a very tall, heavyset woman greeted us. “Good evening, may I help you?” She was taller than Pete, meaning she was at least six feet tall, and she was bulky. Her hair was brushed back, away from her long face in a very short style. She appeared to be the right age, but not at all what I’d expected.
Prudy squinted, trying to get a better look at the woman. “Opal? You don’t look like yourself anymore. I didn’t expect you to be so big.”
A voice came from behind the woman. “You’ve changed, too, Prudy.” A petite blonde stepped forward and took hold of Prudy’s hands. “Let me look at you.”
“Opal? My goodness, you really have changed.” Prudy threw her arms around Opal and hugged her. “You were such a dowdy little girl, and look at you now. You’ve turned into a beautiful little sparrow.” Apparently, Prudy was outspoken no matter whom she was talking to. Opal was petite and wore a loose-fitting slack set, reminiscent of the sixties. Her dyed blonde hair was cut in one of those really short masculine styles, but her figure and face made her appearance totally feminine. She’d pulled off a look that most women couldn’t handle.
The larger woman stepped back and waited for the reunion to end. Her sour expression made me feel she didn’t want to be bothered with us.
“Penny, please bring some refreshments to the living room. I’m sure my guests would like something.” She turned back to Prudy. “Penny is my housekeeper and cook. Reluctantly, she does my bidding.”
Penny gave Opal a look that could implode a building before turning and heading for what I assumed must be the kitchen.
Still holding Prudy’s hand, Opal led us across a large entryway into a sizable and formal living room. Pete and I introduced ourselves as we sat down on an oversized leather couch, commenting that we wanted to discuss Matthew Bremmer.
“I can tell you what I know about Matthew, but first I’d like to catch up with Prudy and see what she’s been doing all these years. So much time has gone by.”
“We can catch up later,” Prudy replied. “Let’s get our business out of the way first.”
Opal’s face took on a hard look. “You always were business first. We’ll conduct our business and then you can be on your way.”
Eighteen
“Opal, don’t take an attitude with me. We’ve got plenty of time to talk, but these folks don’t want to listen to our reminiscences. You and I will get together and talk on our own time. Right now, I’m paying for Sandi and Pete’s services.”
We hadn’t discussed fees, and I wasn’t quite sure what Prudy was up to, if anything. I could only assume she wanted to get right down to business.
Opal’s shoulders relaxed only slightly before she turned to me. “What is it you’d like to know?”
“What do you remember about 1943 and Matthew Bremmer’s murder? I know you were only a child, but you may recall something of importance.”
“I don’t remember much at all.” She dropped her head and stared at something invisible on the floor. “You’ve probably heard that I told my father Matthew had invited me into his house. And that he tried to take my doll away from me.”
She glanced at me for confirmation. I nodded, hoping she’d continue without encouragement.
“I was a lonely little girl. I wanted my father’s attention. I wanted him to quit thinking about making those stupid curls in my hair and I wanted him to stop thinking about me as his housekeeper. I made it up.”
“I knew that, Opal.” Prudy patted Opal’s knee, comfortingly.
“I know, Prudy. You caught me in the lie, and you gave me the attention I craved. My father figured he’d go over to Matthew’s house and have it out with him, end of problem. But that just made things worse. Oh, I can still remember the guilt I felt about getting Matthew into trouble. And, as a child, I couldn’t back out of what I’d started. I figured my father would hate me if he knew the truth. But Nick seemed to think Matthew tried something with me. I swore he didn’t, but my father didn’t believe me.”
“Do you think your father could have had anything to do with Mr. Bremmer’s death?” Pete asked.
Opal took her time answering. “I’ve thought about that many times over the years. Nick did leave the house that night. He was gone for a couple of hours, and when he came home, well, he’d been drinking.”
Her referral to her father as Nick spoke to me. Theirs hadn’t been a close relationship.
Opal stopped talking while Penny wheeled in a tray of pastries, along with a coffee pot, cups and saucers. “Will that be it?” Penny didn’t sound too respectful toward Opal.
“That’s it, Penny. You’re done for the evening.”
I thought I heard Penny let out a quiet hmph as she left the room.
“Penny has been with me since long before Nick died. She’s not a patient woman to begin with, but when my father was alive he kept her in line. I simply don’t care, as long as she gets things done.”
I’m no psychologist, but I had a feeling there was something in Opal that didn’t want to put Penny in the position she’d been in, with someone always looking over her shoulder.
“You were telling us about your father coming home drunk,” Pete prodded.
“Drunk. Yes, I guess he was drunk. And obnoxious. He started harping about how useless my mother had been, and about her leaving him. He said she had no loyalty in her soul.” Opal smiled, but there was no mirth in the expression. “As if he knew anything about a soul.”
“Opal, your father is gone now,” Prudy said. “You can let go of that bitterness and get on with your life, you know. He’s not here to push you around anymore.”
“Oh, Prudy, I have gotten on with my life. It’s just that when I think back about how it was for me, I just… Never mind. It’s over. He’s gone and he can’t bully anyone now. He really was a bully, you know.” She glanced at Prudy.
“I know, cookie,” Prudy said. “He was just a stupid man who thought a child could be an adult. He was a fool.”
Opal looked deeply into Prudy’s eyes. Seeing something that eased her mind, she settled back in her chair and continued.
“Anyway, Nick was drunk and obnoxious. And, yes, he was a bully. But I don’t think he killed Matthew. He fell asleep on the couch, and when I got up the next morning, he was still there. I didn’t hear him leave again that night.”
Opal sat quietly, not looking at any of us. The perky woman who’d greeted us at the door seemed to have retreated into herself. She slowly shook her head.
“Any other questions?”
“Yes,” I said. “Could Nick have gone out again that night?”
“I don’t think he did. That’s as much as I can tell you. He was pretty drunk, and I don’t think he’d have made a quiet exit if he’d left. I didn’t sleep well that night, so I’m sure I would have heard any unusual noises.” Opal looked uncomfortable again. “Besides, Nick may have been mean sometimes, but he used words to hurt people. Not his fists.”
I wondered if Nick had verbally abused Opal when she was a child. I didn’t think it was pertinent to the case, but it bothered me. Maybe when Prudy had said she wanted to take care of business first, it had actually been a slap in the face for Opal.
“Did you or your father ever have any ideas about what happened to Matthew?” I asked.
“Not really. We knew the Framer boys gave Matthew a hard time, and Nick said he’d heard Hector talk about Matthew’s money, but he said he didn’t believe any of them had the guts to kill someone. Nick thought everyone was a wimp, except for himself of course.”
I couldn’t think of anything else to ask Opal, and apparently Pete couldn’t either. We sat quietly for a minute.
“Opal,” Prudy said, “why don’t you and I get together for lunch one day this week? I’d like to talk about you and how you’re doing.”
Opal’s face brightened. “Oh, Prudy, I’d like that. I really would. I can pick you up and… Where are you staying? I’ll
pick you up there.”
“I’m staying with Sandi’s next door neighbor. Sandi can write down the address for you.”
I gave Opal the information and we stood, ready to leave.
Opal stood, too. “Let me find my purse and I’ll walk out with you. I have a late appointment this evening.”
We waited while she searched for her purse, and all walked out together. Prudy gave Opal a hug and patted her back.
“You be careful,” Prudy advised. “It’s kinda late for a woman to be out driving by herself.”
“I’ll be fine. I frequently meet with clients in the evening. Sometimes it’s the only free time we have.” Opal left us at our car and walked around the side of the house, heading for a detached garage.
We pulled out of the driveway and I turned to Prudy. “Was Nick mean to Opal? I mean, did he say hurtful things to her?”
“He did. I don’t think his intention was to hurt her, because she was a treasured possession to him, but he was a hard man. In some ways he pampered Opal, but in others he treated her like she was her mother.”
“Sounds like a nice guy,” Pete said, sarcasm dripping from his words.
“I think we need to find Hector,” I said. “I’ve noticed that everyone remembers him and the way he talked about Matthew’s money. Maybe this is a case where the obvious man is the obvious answer.”
Pete glanced at me and quickly turned his attention back to the road. “We know he’s out of prison, but Stanley hasn’t found an address for him yet. He’s on probation, so he’ll still be in the area somewhere.”
I was about to ask Prudy another question when I heard a faint snort coming from the backseat. Pete turned up the radio and I relaxed, grinning. We drove for about ten minutes without speaking.
“She’s quite a gal,” Pete said, pointing at Prudy over his shoulder.
“What did you think of Opal?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I think I feel kind of sorry for her, and yet something doesn’t seem right. She might be holding back. What was your take?”
“The same. But we don’t really know her. We could be wrong, you know.”