Alibis & Arranging
Page 9
″How about recently? Was she different? Did she look happier or sadder?″ Joy asked.
″She was a mixed bag.″ Beppe frowned. ″When she talked about her ex, sometimes she'd want him back. Sometimes she'd be really angry and hateful about him. A woman scorned, you know. We would all gently encourage her to let go. But in our last session...″ Beppe's frown deepened. ″She didn't say much, but…″
″But what?″
″Well, she seemed almost…excited? Is that the right word? She said she was starting to believe in happy endings again.″
Joy felt her heart contract a little. An image of Teresa's dead body rose before her eyes. Poor woman. She had no idea.
″Was it her ex?″ Aurora asked, as Joy remained quiet. ″I mean, had she spoken to him recently?″
″She didn't say.″ Beppe paused and shook his head. ″The thing is, in our meetings we'd try and keep details vague and focus on our emotions instead. You know? Teresa was…well…if you'd asked me, she was looking forward to life. It's such a pity. Such a great big pity.″
″Thanks, Uncle.″ Joy got up. Then, as an afterthought, she gave him a tight hug. She released him and he smiled at her, but there was a lot of sadness in his smile. Joy sighed. Uncle Beppe was a committed bachelor. Mostly, he was happy to just putter around on his small farm and spend his time buried in hobbies. At times like this, though, Joy wished he had a wife looking after him.
″Listen, why don't you have dinner with us tonight? I don't want you to be alone,″ she said.
″Oh…no. It's alright. I'll be alright.″ Beppe shrugged. ″Don't worry about me.″ That was the typical male ego all her relatives seemed to have. The rebellious ″I don't need looking after″ attitude. One time, Uncle Beppe had insisted he help her lift a couch three days after he'd had a back surgery. Joy had ended up almost tying him to his chair before he relented. Joy had little patience for macho displays.
″Actually, I'd feel much better with a big strong man around the house,″ Aurora said. ″Maybe you could even sleep over in the guest room or something?″ Joy gave her an incredulous look at this blatant flattery, and Aurora tried to mentally communicate ″shut up″ with just her eyes. ″You know, after the attack on me…it's a big house and it's just me and Joy in there. We'd both sleep better with you around.″
Uncle Beppe's chest puffed. ″Well, if that's the case, you should have said so earlier. Of course, I'll come. Don't you worry. I'll bring my shotgun along, too.″
″No need,″ Joy said hastily. ″Just get some pajamas.″
″Sure, I'll go grab a change of clothes. Only…who's doing the cooking tonight, if you don't mind me asking?″
″Not Aurora, don't worry.″ Joy grinned. ″As a matter of fact, I've got some pork chops that need cooking. I know that's your favorite.″
″With orange glaze?″ Uncle Beppe licked his lips. ″Count me in. You've got ice cream at home, right? Otherwise I think I might have a pint of rocky road in the fridge.″
″There's not an ice cream carton in the world that can survive the night in the same house as Joy.″ Aurora grinned. ″You better bring yours along. Let's go.″
18
The True Owner
Joy waited till Uncle Beppe had gone the next morning before she began teasing Aurora.
″I'd feel much better with a big strong man around the house,″ Joy mimicked Aurora, grinning widely and batting her eyelashes excessively. ″Really, Aurora?″
″Well, it was the only way to get him to come over. You were right, he'd have gotten all gloomy and broody if we'd let him stay home alone,″ Aurora protested.
″Oh, I know. I just never knew that side of you.″ Joy laughed. ″’Aurora, The Eyelash Batting Damsel In Distress’.″
″Shush. I'm only putting up with this because you're driving me around.″ Aurora rolled her eyes. ″Thanks for that, by the way.″
Joy shrugged. It was the least she could do. The doctor didn't want Aurora behind the wheel of a car for a few days more. In fact, he'd recommended that she rest a few days more. Aurora, bored at home, had insisted she wanted to start work on Hilda's mansion anyway. So Joy had agreed to drive her there. Of course, if she could poke around a bit herself, that would be a bonus.
″I know what you're thinking and I have some bad news for you,″ Aurora said. ″I got a message from Rosa this morning. She's going to come over to the mansion, too, and make sure I'm handling things well. I don't think she'd like it if you were snooping around. Especially after how we last left her.″
Joy sighed. ″Darn. I guess I'll just drop you at the door, then. Listen, Aurora, keep an eye out, ok? If you find something, that is.″
″It's a house full of clutter,″ Aurora said. ″I've no doubt I'll find something. It’s just that it'll probably be some useless bit of paper or an old pen or something.″
″You never know,″ Joy said. ″You're a magician when it comes to these things.″
They pulled up to the house and Rosa was waiting on the doorstep with Milly next to her. Joy lingered in the car for a moment, giving Rosa a wave. Rosa waved back, but it was apparent she wasn't going to hand out invitations to come in. Reluctantly, Joy drove away.
Rosa was a little testy with Aurora still, as well. ″I checked the house, and you haven't made any progress at all,″ she snapped.
″These things take time. I was a little preoccupied,″ Aurora said.
″Well, we don't have time. What's the fastest we can get this all cleared out? I mean, what if we hired a garbage truck and just dumped it all into a landfill?″ Rosa asked.
Aurora was surprised. ″I'm…are you sure you want to do that, Rosa?″
″I don't really, but maybe I don't have a choice.″ Rosa sighed. ″I want to sell it off and I've got a good offer already, but only if I can clean it all out by next week. What do you think? If I double your pay, would you be able to?″
″I...″ Aurora felt a twinge of doubt. ″Sure. I'll work day and night if I need to.″
″That's the spirit. Milly and I will both help,″ Rosa said.
Strange, Aurora thought. Last time they'd talked, Rosa hadn't even wanted to step into the house. But now she was in such a hurry that she was offering to double Aurora's pay and help her out, too.
There was a furious knocking on the door as they began to head deeper into the mansion. Rosa looked up and an expression of guilt was apparent on her face.
″Let me in! Let me in!″ a voice shouted. Milly moved forward to open the door, but Rosa stopped her.
″I think this one's for me,″ Rosa said. She squared her shoulders and moved to the front door. Opening it, she clutched the peacock-blue shawl around her shoulders a little tighter. ″Russell. What brings you here?″ Her voice was frigid. ″Didn't you hear? Max proved that your case was junk. It's been dismissed. The will was not a fraud, it's Aunt Hilda's last wish.″
Russell swayed a bit. He had a stain on his shirt and the bits of hair that stuck to the sides of his head were standing up. Aurora wondered if he'd driven - he certainly didn't look like he should have.
″Aunt Hilda's last wish? Don't make me laugh. You and I both know the truth. She would have cut you out if she hadn't died when she did. You just got lucky. Or maybe you took fate in your own hands,″ Russell slurred.
″You've been drinking.″ Rosa sounded disgusted. ″Bit early in the morning for that, isn't it?″
″Your lawyer…he's a cheat. A thief!″ Russell said. ″He probably bribed the judge. That's why our case got dismissed. But don't you worry. We're going to appeal.″
″Max isn't a cheat!″ Aurora protested automatically. Both Rosa and Russell ignored her.
″You can try. That's your business.″ Rosa tried to close the door, but Russell stuck a foot in and pushed it open. Rosa stumbled back with a cry of alarm. Milly and Aurora rushed forward. Russell's fists were clenching and unclenching as he stared at Rosa.
″You were always a horrible cheat,″ he growled.
″I don't care about legalities. This is my father's home. He built it with his own money. It's not fair that it all goes to you. That was my money!″
Rosa trembled. ″I offered you a fair share, even though I didn't have to. It's not my fault you refused. Now you're going to get nothing.″
″A fair share! HA! You offered me a pittance,″ Russell said, spitting as he spoke. ″And now you're trying to sell the house as quickly as possible so that you can run away with the money. Well, it won't work. I'm telling you, it won't work. My lawyer said we'll appeal, and we'll win the case and I'll be living here soon.″
″Your lawyer is just trying to get more money out of you.″ Rosa sighed. ″Take my advice, Russell, you've got enough money to last you a lifetime anyway. I know for a fact that Hilda regularly loaned you large sums. You can just think of those as your inheritance and live off the interest or something.″
″She loaned me? Ha! It was my money that she was loaning me and she knew it and so did I. All of this should rightfully be mine,″ Russell repeated, waving his hands around wildly.
″You're repeating yourself. Go away, Russell. Sober up. I don't want to call the police.″
Ignoring her, Russell turned to Aurora. ″You.″ He pointed at her. ″Whatever Rosa's paying you, I'll double it. Find the real will. There's another will, I just know it. It's hidden in this big, ghost-of-a-house somewhere. I KNOW it. But find that will and bring it to me. My father never wanted this house to go to a stranger. He loved this house. I love it, too. Not like Rosa here. Why, I know every corner of it.″
Rosa sighed. ″I'm calling the police,″ she said.
″No need. I'm going. But remember, I'll keep an eye on you.″ Russell staggered out, slamming the door shut behind him. There was a long silence in his wake. Finally, Aurora broke it.
″Er…I’m not sure he should be driving in his condition,″ Aurora said. She shivered a bit. ″We've just had a woman die due to drunk driving. I wouldn't want to add another death to the mix. Do you mind if I sit out with him a bit while he sobers up? Maybe you could call him a taxi?″
Rosa sighed. ″You're right. Much as I dislike him, I don't want him to die. Or, worse, kill someone else with his carelesness. Go take his car keys and don't let him drive. The nerve of the man, though! How dare he imply I'd kill Aunt Hilda for money!″ She shook her head.
″Well, money makes people do strange things,″ Aurora said. ″Horrible things, sometimes even to family members.″
″Not me!″ Rosa exclaimed. ″To kill for money is…it's a sin. That's what it is. No matter how desperate Jonah and I were for money, I would never have touched a hair on Hilda's head. Not for a single penny!″ She gripped Aurora's arm. ″You believe that? Never! I'd never have killed her for all the treasure in the world.″
Aurora looked deep into her eyes. Slowly, she nodded. ″I believe you.″
Deflated, Rosa's hands fell to her side. ″Never mind. I suppose it's no use any way. Just go to him. Make sure he doesn't get into his car.″
Outside, Aurora found Russell sprawled on his back in the grass. He had his arms crossed on his chest and a wistful expression on his face. Aurora stepped up next to him, then sat down cross-legged. She wasn't sure what to say.
″I used to spend hours like this as a kid,″ Russell said. ″These gardens…I loved them so much. I'd always find a friend in the garden. A bird, an insect, a rabbit on occasion. I still love this place. Have you ever loved a place, Aurora?″
″Me? I…no. I don't think I have,″ Aurora admitted. The thought of the house she shared with Joy flashed through her mind. She was beginning to love it - a cautious, tepid love affair. Definitely, some of her happiest times in recent memory were when she was just ambling about the house. But love? That was a strong emotion, and Aurora tended to avoid strong emotions.
″You won't understand, then. When you spend your childhood in a place, it's like your life becomes welded to it. This was my universe, once upon a time. The only thing I really want is to move back home - to the home that was snatched from me.″ Russell sighed. ″You probably don't know that story, do you?″
″I don’t,″ Aurora said.
″My father and mother lived here till Dad fell in love with Hilda. I don't know why he did. My mother was certainly the prettier one. But I guess Hilda had something…a fire in her. I think Dad had wanted her for a long time before he got her.″ Russell paused. ″Well, overnight, my mother and I were banished out of the house and Hilda was installed in here. It was horrible. Just horrible. My whole world felt like it had cracked in two. I mean…growing up, it's not like my mom and dad were the love match of the century. She married him for his money, he married her for her looks. That was obvious. Even to a little kid like me. But…I felt nurtured and protected by the house. This house was like a parent to me when my parents weren't. It broke my heart to leave it. Afterwards, I was always nice to Hilda, hoping that she'd do the right thing and leave me the house. And now, all these years later...″ Russell sighed. ″Apparently she didn't.″
″Do you really believe there's another will out there?″
″Absolutely. Hilda's true will,″ Russell said. ″I'm telling you, the current will is two years old. Hilda cut me out of her will briefly back then, but then we made up and she put me back in. She was always using her will as a means to control me and Rosa. Rosa was less susceptible but me…Hilda knew I wanted the house. She knew it would cut me to pieces not having it. So I stayed in line. I did what she wanted. I acted like the good, adoring boy.″ There was hatred in Russell's voice. ″The old bat!″
″Well, if Hilda made a new will, why wouldn't she give it to Max?″
″Because she was killed before she could,″ Russell said. ″I bet Rosa killed her as soon as Hilda threatened to change the will, on the afternoon after our dinner party. So Hilda had no time to send it to the lawyer. But as long as she signed it herself, I bet it'd hold up in a court of law. If only we could find it!″
″You said you know the house well. If Hilda wanted to hide the will, where would the best place be?″
Russell seemed to sober up at this question and sat up. He stared at Aurora for a long time. ″You believe me?″ he asked.
″I'm not saying I do,″ Aurora said cautiously. ″But…I do want to help if it's true.″
A smile slowly cracked across Russell's face. ″Thank you. Oh, thank you! Listen, if she'd hidden it anywhere, it would be in her den. Hilda spent a majority of her time there. The problem is, the place is chock full of papers. It may be hard to find.″
″I'll try my best to spot it,″ Aurora said.
″You better hurry. I don't trust Rosa. She may decide to shred every bit of paper in that place, in her rush to get it sold. Thank you, Aurora. Truly, thank you.″
A taxi pulled up and Aurora bundled Russell into it, waving as it drove away. She stayed by the large iron gates for a moment, watching it become a speck. Part of her believed Russell. Part of her remembered the hatred in his face as he spoke of Hilda and wondered if, after years of kowtowing to her, Russell had snapped and done something drastic.
19
Messy Days
″Is he finally gone?″ Rosa huffed as Aurora entered the house again. ″Good riddance.″
Aurora nodded. She'd chosen to wear a simple pair of olive chinos and a thin denim shirt that day, and she rolled up her sleeves now in anticipation of the work. It would feel good to work. She'd often told Joy that cleaning - properly cleaning up and organizing a place, that is - often made her feel like she was transforming herself on the inside, too. It gave her a sense of control that life didn't often afford her. Rosa, looking miserable, looked like she certainly needed that sense of control.
″Do you have a place you'd like to start with?″ Aurora asked Rosa.
″The bedroom,″ Rosa said. ″Aunt Hilda spent most of her time either in the bedroom or the kitchen, so that's where the most important stuff should be.″
″Well, she used to spend at least an hour a day shut up inside her study, too,″ Milly piped in.
Rosa blinked. ″Well, then we can do that after.″
″Alright. Your intention is to auction off most of these things, isn't it?″ Aurora asked. ″You've already looked the house over for keepsakes and sentimental items, right?″
″Yes.″
″So let's have a slightly different approach to things,″ Aurora said. ″What I'd like to do is to make three piles in each room- sell, donate and trash. At the first stage, we're going for speed: don't take longer than ten seconds to put an item into one of the piles. You can always go back to things if it's a ‘maybe’. It's going to make the house messier for a while, but we'll work much faster overall this way.″
″I can start off in the kitchen,″ Milly said. ″If Rosa agrees. I doubt there's anything of value in there, after all, and I know where everything is kept.″
″Yes. We'll tackle the bedroom.″ Rosa nodded. ″Come on, Aurora. Upstairs.″
They walked up with Rosa trailing a hand along the teak wood banister. She looked a little sad as she walked into Hilda's room. Aurora had expected an old, dusty place, somehow. But, to her surprise, Hilda's room was a well-organized, clean and bright space. At least, on the outside. The room had a balcony with French windows and pretty lace curtains, a queen size bed with a flowery bedsheet and a full-size mirror with fairy lights bordering it. One wall was covered with floor to ceiling closets and there was a chest of drawers in the corner. It wasn't until she began opening the closets and chest of drawers that Aurora saw the problem. Every shelf was overflowing with things. Hilda, clearly, had a lot more going on below the surface than was apparent.