The Wolfe Widow (A Book Collector Mystery)

by Victoria Abbott

I shook my head. “I was asleep until the bossy pooch decided he couldn’t put off a trip outside. Didn’t see anyone.”

  Too much info, I told myself. Don’t pile it on, you’ll trip up. A simple “no” would have done.

  He said, “A black-and-white dog. Weird looking.”

  I shook my head and pointed to Walter. “This is the only dog I’ve seen. Walter’s kind of weird. Did it look like this?”

  “Not even a little bit.”

  I was hoping that Cobain wouldn’t wake up and show his face in an upstairs window and make an obvious liar out of me.

  He said, “What about a skinny white guy running?”

  I glanced around nervously and pulled my cape around me tightly. “Should I be worried, Officer?”

  “Nah. Go back to bed,” he said.

  “I won’t be able to sleep now.”

  “Lock your doors,” he said, and drove away.

  Gee, thanks. Fat lot of good the cops were. Locking his doors and putting on his security system hadn’t saved the lawyer from me. If someone really wants to get in, they’ll get in.

  I turned toward the house and the cop car rolled on. Inside, I fished out my phone and called Kev.

  “Mmmmph?”

  “Wake up, Kev. Cruella’s named in the will.”

  “What?”

  “You have to find the will and hide it.”

  “But Bo Peep, what good would that do? The lawyer has the other copy.”

  “Not anymore, he doesn’t.”

  Kev gasped. “She’ll know that was us. She’ll call the cops.”

  “So? Why would we take it? We’re not going to inherit. Hard to imagine we’d be in any of Vera’s wills. But as long as Muriel is the beneficiary in this will, Vera’s life is in danger.”

  “Muriel will just insist on getting another will made. Vera’s eating out of her hand.”

  “Just do it, Kev. Go fast. I am sure the lawyer will call Van Alst House to let them know as soon as he realizes that the will is gone. If the one at Van Alst House is gone too, I’m guessing they’ll do up another tomorrow. But it buys us some time to help Vera.”

  “They’ll probably figure it was you, Jordie.”

  “They won’t be able to prove it.”

  “They might search your place.”

  “And if they do, they’ll find me and two dogs. They won’t find any will.”

  “Good.”

  “Kev. Make it look like a burglary. Break a window.”

  “Righty!”

  I knew he’d love that.

  “It’s starting to snow again. Don’t leave footprints outside. Or if you do, wear someone else’s boots.”

  “Outside?”

  “You do know that a window broken from within the house is a sign of an inside job.”

  “Of course, everyone knows that. You caught me sleepin’, Jordie. I’m not thinking a hundred percent yet. Footprints, yeah, that’s right.”

  I hoped that hundred percent thing kicked in soon. “When will you do it?”

  “On it now.”

  “I’ll dial 911 to give myself an alibi.”

  I told the dogs to stay put and headed for the back. I knocked over a few garbage cans. I smudged up the snow so that no sign of my footprints would remain, not that I was expecting a full-fledged police investigation into a possible intruder in my alley. Still, you can’t be too careful. Luckily, we have no neighbors on either side. That’s a benefit of my uncles’ having bought up most of the property on the block.

  Two minutes after I got in, I practiced my hyperventilating and called 911. I whispered breathlessly, “I think someone’s trying to break in. Please come right away.”

  After a few sorting-out questions, the dispatcher said that help would be there shortly. She advised me to remain calm. I said I’d try.

  The same officer rolled back up to Michael Kelly’s Fine Antiques and grinned when he saw me open the door.

  I blurted, “I think that guy might have been here.”

  Walter greeted him with great enthusiasm.

  “What happened exactly?”

  “Something or someone knocked over the aluminum garbage cans in the back. I had just gotten back to bed and it woke me up.”

  “You see anything?”

  “No. I don’t think he got in. The dog started to bark and I think maybe he changed his mind.”

  “Anyone with you?”

  I shook my head. “My family’s away. Anyway, it’s back here.” I gestured to the lane that separated our building from the next. “Aren’t you going to call for backup?”

  He laughed. “I’ll be able to handle it.”

  “It really couldn’t hurt to call for backup, could it?”

  He was still laughing when he headed down the lane. He wasn’t when he returned. “Cans are all messed up. Can’t get any tracks, but it looks like someone was trying something. Has anything been disturbed inside?”

  I shook my head. I silently asked my uncles to forgive me as I brought the forces of law and order inside and showed him the various doors.

  He was frowning. “Looks like you scared him off. Sure you’re all right?”

  I smiled, wanly. “Spooked the heck out of me.”

  “Yes, he’s probably looking for an easier target. Might even have been a raccoon. Even so, you got someone to stay with you? You’re shaking.”

  “Thanks. I’m okay.” My teeth were chattering and I wasn’t even faking it.

  “Give it some thought. Call a friend. I’d want my kids to do that.”

  Ah yes, my “friends.” Of course, they’d vanished off the face of the earth. I didn’t want to mention that to him. I really hate people feeling sorry for me, even nice fatherly cops. Especially nice fatherly cops.

  If Mick arrived home to find me being consoled by another cop in the shop, well, we might have to call a hearse.

  “I’m in the area and I’ll patrol as often as I can tonight. How about I park down the street when I do my paperwork? Call 911 if you need to. I’ll get the call.”

  “I appreciate that.” That at least was true at this point.

  He said, “And if I’m not on duty and you need help or for some reason they don’t reach me, here’s my cell.” He passed me a generic Harrison Falls Police Services card with his own number written on it by hand.

  Well, that was kind but weird.

  As soon as he left, I texted Uncle Mick and Uncle Lucky to let them know it wasn’t a good night for any, shall we say, unusual activity. I made myself comfortable and waited for Kev to call.

  When he did, it wasn’t good news. Not at all.

  “We’ve got a problem here, Bo . . . Jordie!”

  “What?”

  “There was a break-in. Muriel’s saying I did it.”

  Assuming that Kev was on speakerphone, I played it straight.

  “A break-in? That’s awful, Kev. What did they take? Not Vera’s silver?”

  “Not the silver. Well, I don’t think they took the silver. No one mentioned it. Did they take the silver, Vera?”

  I could hear Muriel raging and Vera’s gravelly tone in the background.

  “I can’t hear Vera, Muriel,” Kev said peevishly. “And I didn’t have anything to do with breaking that window. I am offended you would suggest that.”

  “Il demonio!”

  “I don’t know what was taken, Jordie, but the cops are on their way. Muriel is saying that you were in on it.”

  “In on what?”

  “I don’t know ‘in on what.’ But she says you’d better have an alibi.”

  “An alibi? Why?”

  “Because of whatever happened here, maybe twenty minutes ago.”

  “Oh dio!”

  “Please, Signora, try to calm down. You’re
not helping anyone.”

  “Muriel is saying the police will want to talk to you about where you were when this was going on.”

  “As a matter of fact, I was right here with the dogs, and I have a very good alibi for twenty minutes ago.”

  “Well, that’s good, Jordie, because I’m wondering what kind of alibi Muriel has. Although she seems to have the cops in her pocket.”

  I heard Muriel’s deep voice say, “Watch it, Kelly.”

  Kev kept going. “There’s a window broken. From the outside, and guess what?”

  I sighed, “What, Kev?”

  “Muriel’s boots are dripping from the snow, even though she claims she hasn’t been outside all night. There’s some kind of legal documents missing apparently. Who else but Muriel would care about that? Vera can’t get outside and the rest of us have nothing to do with any legal documents. Do we, Signora?”

  “Povera Vera!”

  “You know what, Jordie? I think Muriel broke that window to fake a break-in for her own nefarious purposes.”

  “Nefarious. Kev?”

  “Yes. Because—”

  “Kev, I can’t hear you.”

  All hell appeared to have broken loose at Van Alst House. I did hear a bit of the signora’s high wail. The rest was just shouting and then the phone went dead.

  * * *

  “WE BEEN FIRED!”

  “What?”

  “Muriel found out that I got Eddie’s phone number from the signora. She told Vera and I’ve been fired. I guess the break-in didn’t help either. The signora’s fired too. We’re already off the property.”

  I barely stopped myself from saying “what” again. “The signora too? Off the property? It’s the middle of the night.”

  Of course, Uncle Kev didn’t actually have a vehicle at the moment. That’s another story that would take too long to explain. “You mean you’re standing on the road?”

  “With everything I own in the world.”

  “I’m coming. Just wait for me and try to keep warm.”

  “I kind of miss the kitties, so that will be nice. But, you know, I’m worried about the signora. How is she going to cope?”

  “She’ll stay with us too. We’ll find a way to deal with it in the morning. I’m on my way.”

  My heart was thumping. Kev might be a walking disaster, but he cared about Vera and he understood the way the household worked. This was bad news, especially with Muriel working so hard to get Vera’s new will. As for the signora, that was just plain heartbreaking. I hustled out and the dogs hustled with me.

  Ten minutes later, in the Saab, we picked up Kev and the signora, shivering on the side of the road. With the two dogs in the car, at least there was plenty of body heat to keep them warm.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. By the time I got it out, it was too late.

  “Shoot. I’ve missed a call from Eddie. I’ll call him back from home.”

  Beside me, Uncle Kev was shivering pathetically. I couldn’t give him a rough ride about not wearing his warm clothes. He’d been through enough. I stepped on the gas and we rocketed the rest of the way to Uncle Mick’s. The signora wailed. The dogs loved it all.

  * * *

  IT TOOK A few minutes to get everyone warm, dry and calm. While I tried unsuccessfully to return Eddie’s call, the signora helped her own mood by whipping up a bit of pasta for Kev.

  “Eat,” she said. “Eat to help Vera.”

  I wasn’t sure what you call a meal at four in the morning or how that meal would help Vera, but Kev enjoyed it. And the cats who had been yowling from behind Uncle Lucky’s door may have scored a morsel or six. I decided I would check with the vet the next day to see what they should be eating, but for the moment I let it go. My head was buzzing with fatigue. I headed to bed and left them in the kitchen.

  I was changing into my pajamas when I heard a thundering at the front door, which is actually the front entrance to the shop, of course. Did I hear a shout of “Police”?

  Archie Goodwin would never have opened up for Inspector Cramer or Stebbins at that time of night, no matter how much they bullied. At the best of times, he gave them plenty of attitude. But for some reason Kev and the signora rushed to open the door and the rest, as they say, was history.

  Of course, it was the police and it seemed that they had a warrant.

  “What for?” I said, looking my most surprised as I arrived late to the party. “Kev, I think you should both go to bed now. We’re all exhausted. No, don’t argue. We are not letting them in any farther. Kev, the signora will be fine at Lucky’s. Help her to settle in. The cats will be happy.”

  I felt something like joy when they actually disappeared back into the house, yawning and dragging their feet.

  Detective Jack Jones was standing inside the front door of the shop, which is technically our place.

  “It’s a search warrant. Therefore it’s to search.”

  “Go right ahead and search whatever you want,” I said. “But first shouldn’t you be telling me why?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” he said. “And don’t get too comfortable because we’re going to take you downtown to talk about a couple of break-ins tonight.”

  “Break-ins?” I thought I did a great version of outraged virtue. But my heart was thumping. Being dragged into the police station and grilled did not bode well for the future of my relationship with Smiley—if I had one, that is, considering his absence and silence.

  “Don’t act all innocent. I know for a fact that you broke into the office of Dwight Jenkins and the home of Muriel Delgado tonight.”

  “You certainly do not know that.” I held my chin high.

  “Where were you tonight?”

  “Here, except when I walked the dogs. I walked them separately, if you must know. I did leave to pick up my uncle Kevin and Signora Panetone at the home of Miss Vera Van Alst tonight. That’s Vera Van Alst’s home and not Muriel Delgado’s. Important distinction. They were fired after this alleged burglary.”

  “Uh-huh. And can anyone verify your whereabouts before that?”

  He was being tricky. Of course, an innocent person wouldn’t know what time the break-ins took place. Archie had also taught me that police give away how they want to trip you up. He liked to call it telegraphing. I said, “It depends on the time that you are talking about.”

  I looked past Jones’s shoulder to see my own personal patrol officer loom into view. “What’s going on here?” he said with a glower at Jones.

  “We’re arresting Jordan Bingham on suspicion of burglary.” To me he said, “You’re coming to the station.”

  “I’m in my pajamas,” I bleated. “I have bare feet.”

  “Should have thought of that when you broke into Van Alst House an hour ago.”

  “I didn’t.” I managed to inject a half sob into my voice. Very effective, I thought.

  “You ask me, she didn’t,” said the patrol officer. I was wishing I knew his name.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that someone tried to break in here and she called 911. That was before we got the call about the Van Alst place. I came by here after the 911 and checked things out. I kept an eye on her because she’s alone and there’s some crazy guy in the area.”

  I sniffed. “I told you I was here.”

  Jones wasn’t done. “There’s still the robbery at the lawyer’s house. And I think we’ve got you on that.”

  “I don’t see how.”

  I actually felt bad by now, lying in front of my alibi, who seemed like a really decent person.

  “We’ll find those papers.” Jones attempted to shoulder past me.

  “Can I see that warrant?” I said. It had belatedly occurred to me that they’d never have been able to get a warrant that quickly for something as mundane as a couple of brea
k-ins in the middle of the night. Thank you, Archie, for that inspiration.

  “Why?” he said.

  “Because it’s the law.”

  My own personal patrol officer was frowning. Maybe he wasn’t impressed watching Jones play fast and loose with a citizen’s rights. Of course, he was seriously outranked by the detective, but still he was a witness to bad behavior.

  Jones curled his lip, not a good look for him. “It won’t take long.” He turned to the officer. “And you, keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t leave or make an attempt to hide the stolen papers.”

  “What papers are you talking about?” I said as he stormed out.

  Jones squealed his tires taking off.

  The patrol officer said, almost apologetically, “You really shouldn’t try to leave.”

  I said, “I’m not planning to leave. I’d just like to get some sleep. And I don’t even know your name, but thank you again.”

  “Gus Melski. Glad to help. I’ve got three girls of my own and I want to believe that people are out there keeping an eye on them.”

  I felt a pang of guilt. That’s the thing about lying to decent people, but, honestly (as most of us say when we’re producing whoppers), I couldn’t think of another way to deal with this situation.

  “Go to bed. I’ll be in the car, outside your door so I can assure Jones you didn’t hide anything.

  * * *

  THAT ONE HOUR of sleep really made a difference. Unfortunately, that was all I got. Then all of a sudden, the dogs appeared to be barking, and Walter was circling in a panic and nosing me. It took a while to come to the surface. The cats were yowling next door, so maybe that contributed to the general confusion.

  Voices were raised in what sounded like hysteria. I pulled on my slippers and staggered downstairs.

  My phone rang at the same time, but I’d left it upstairs.

  Uncle Kev was leaping like a deranged leprechaun in the kitchen. The signora was wailing. Officer Melski was scratching his head.

  “Something wrong, Officer?” I said.

  “You tell me. I heard dogs barking and someone shrieking in a foreign language. Thought I better check to see if you were all right. This gentleman let me in.”

  At that, Kev managed to look extraordinarily guilty, even though all he’d done was answer the door.