by Lynne Hinton
She pulled in to the parking lot at Twila’s and turned off the engine. When she stood up from the bike and dropped the kickstand, she heard a familiar voice.
“Well, if it isn’t the Harley-riding nun herself.”
THIRTY-TWO
“Mother Madeline!”
The two women ran toward each other and into a big embrace.
“What a lovely surprise!” Evangeline stood back, smiling at her mentor and friend Reverend Madeline Barr, an Episcopal priest who served a small parish in Los Alamos, outside Santa Fe. “What are you doing in Madrid?”
The older woman smiled. “Your father didn’t tell you?” She had a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Tell me what?”
“I retired and moved back at the end of the year. I bought Ned Shelley’s homeplace out near Cedar Hill.”
Eve knew the area well. Ned Shelley, a longtime resident of Madrid, had passed away a couple of years earlier. He left the property his family had homesteaded since the early 1930s to a distant family member in another state, who immediately put it on the market. “But why didn’t I hear about a retirement party or some event at the church?”
Madeline shrugged. “Aw, I didn’t want any of that hoopla. All those speeches about enjoying the golden years, those little, dainty white-bread sandwiches, and people who’ve given you heartburn for twenty years suddenly showing up and pretending they’re your best friends. Nah, I didn’t want any of that.” She waved her hands in front of her. “I just asked the vestry to help me make the down payment on the house and told them we’d have a party out there this summer.” She smiled. “And what about you, Sister Eve? What are you doing back in town?”
“The Captain,” she replied. “He had to have part of his leg amputated a few weeks ago. According to Dorisanne, it’s my turn to take the parental caregiving shift.”
“I didn’t know,” she replied. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope he’s doing well.”
Eve shrugged. “He’s about as well as you’d expect him to be.”
Madeline nodded. “I see you’re still riding.”
“It’s Twila’s,” Evangeline said. “Let me give these keys back to her and if you want, we’ll drive over to the Captain’s place. I wanted to pick up the mail and check the office.”
“I’ll wait out here for you,” the older woman replied.
Eve went inside, gave the keys and jacket back to Twila with her thanks for the ride, and returned to her friend. The two of them got in the truck and headed down the road to the detective agency office. They got out and Eve found the key and opened the door. The cat from the street hurried up to them.
“You’re still keeping strays, I see.” Madeline stood at the door.
“They just keep following me,” she replied. “This is Daisy,” she added.
“Some things never change,” Madeline noted, watching the cat as it made its way inside.
“Please, please, come in.” Eve moved aside so that Madeline could enter. “Let me clean off a couple of seats and we can sit down.” She removed the magazines and mail from the two folding chairs in front of the Captain’s desk and dusted them off. She turned them around so that they were facing each other and then patted one. The old two-room office was far from fancy, but Eve had come to love the place. She had cleaned it and rearranged the few pieces of furniture, giving it a more spacious feel. The room now had a familiarity and warmth to it that welcomed folks to sit down and tell their stories.
Madeline glanced around the office after they had taken their seats. “So this is what a private detective agency looks like.”
Evangeline smiled. “It’s what this private detective agency looks like anyway.” Madeline crossed her legs at the ankles and took a sip from her coffee. “And how are you?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” Eve answered. The cat jumped up in her lap, and she gave the animal a good scratch behind the ears.
“They gave you a leave of absence from the monastery?” Madeline asked.
Eve nodded. “Two months.”
Madeline raised her eyebrows. “That’s a good, long time,” she said.
“It was a surprise, actually,” Eve responded.
The older woman waited. She was never one to force a comment or conversation.
“When Mama was sick, you know, they wouldn’t let me leave.” Eve recalled telling Mother Madeline all this before. The Episcopalian had been Eve’s spiritual director when she was in the discernment process of becoming a nun.
Madeline offered an empathetic nod.
Eve shrugged. “But for some reason, the vice superior agreed this time.”
“Could be that it actually is in God’s hands, as the saints all say.”
“Could be they were glad to get rid of me. You know about the changes, right?”
“I heard they were making the monks and nuns separate.” She shook her head. “How long have the men and women been living together there?”
“Since the seventies,” Eve answered.
“This came down from the Vatican?” Madeline wanted to know.
Eve nodded.
“Then I guess there’s no fighting it.”
“Guess not,” Eve answered softly.
“And how is your father? Is he in a rehabilitation facility? Did the surgery go as planned?”
“The surgery went well, but the Captain informed his doctor and care team that he would not be using their recommended facility. He’s home,” she answered. She let the cat down and watched as she walked over to the little bed Eve had made for it in the corner of the room.
Madeline lifted her chin and gave a laugh. “Then it seems as if the vice superior and the Vatican had a bit of divine guidance in letting you leave the community. You are needed in Madrid.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“So, are you doing some work for the agency?” Madeline asked, looking over at the Captain’s desk.
Eve turned and noticed the clutter of papers and mail. She shook her head. “I hadn’t planned on it, but he could use a little assistance in here.”
“Does he have a case?”
“Well, that’s not exactly clear,” Eve answered. “Did you hear about the murder?”
Madeline stiffened. “In Madrid?”
“Cerrillos, actually. But the man had been staying here in Madrid. He rented that house that used to be a bed-and-breakfast in the nineties, the one way out there near the rock garden that the couple from New York started.”
“Rising Son?” Madeline asked.
Eve nodded.
“I thought they closed.”
“They did as a bed-and-breakfast business, but apparently Hollywood types have been renting it.” Eve paused. “Evidently they shoot a lot of movies out here.”
“I did know that,” Madeline said. “And I also heard some of the Hollywood and artistic types were renting and buying up the property around here. I thought I’d get a deal on Shelley’s place, but it turns out that because of the Californians moving here, I had to pay the asking price.”
“Was someone else looking to buy it?”
“The guy who bought the property below it. He’s a writer. And I think he may write movie scripts.”
“Oh yeah?” Eve was interested. “And who is that?”
“Biltmore is his last name,” Madeline replied. “I only met him once. I stopped by to introduce myself when I moved in. He was typing away when I knocked on the door, and he said he was working on a project. He seemed to be in a big hurry so I didn’t stay.” She thought for a moment. “Ross Biltmore,” she said. “That was it. And there was another guy there too,” she added. “I never saw him, just saw a fancy silver BMW in the driveway and thought I hadn’t noticed that car before when I’d passed by the place. I heard Mr. Biltmore call out his name. Let’s see, seems like the name was, Chance or Chap, something strange like—”
“Chaz?” Evangeline asked.
Madeline smiled. “That’s it,” she said. “Mr. Bilt
more’s friend was named Chaz.”
THIRTY-THREE
Evangeline was home when the Captain returned from his lunch with Daniel. She heard the car and hurried to the kitchen window. She watched as he got out of the passenger’s seat, leaned against his crutches, said his good-byes, and hobbled to the door.
The disappointment hit quickly. He was not wearing the prosthetic. She hurried to the door when she heard the horn blow.
Daniel leaned out the window. “He’s as strong as an ox,” he shouted. “And stubborn as a mule,” he added, tooting the horn and backing out.
Eve waved and when she turned around, her father was shaking his fist at his former partner. “Welcome home,” she said.
He grunted as he walked past.
“So, how was lunch?” she asked, closing and latching the screen door.
“Horseman’s Haven,” he answered. “Green chile burger and cheese fries.” He moved inside the house, balancing himself against the wall as Trooper ran into the room to greet him. He gave the dog a loving pat, placed his crutches against the wall, and hopped over to the sofa.
Eve just watched. Where is the prosthetic? she wondered, but she didn’t ask. “That sounds healthy.”
He waved away the comment. He was breathing heavier than usual, and Eve could see the trip had tired him.
“You want a glass of water?”
He nodded and she went into the kitchen to fetch the drink.
“Did you see any of your old buddies?” She handed him a glass.
“Sam Rogers, Cecil Rodriquez, Louie …” He paused, breathing. “The usuals,” he added, rubbing his forehead.
“You want to take a nap?”
He shook his head. “I think I’d just like to sit here.” He took a big swig of his drink.
Eve took a seat across from him. “See anybody else from work?”
“Nobody special,” he answered. “You look like the cat that ate the canary. What are you so happy about?”
“I met an interesting person this morning.”
He waited.
“Ron Polland,” she announced.
The name didn’t seem to register at first.
“Chaz Cheston’s producer,” she added.
“He was in Madrid?”
“At Twila’s,” she confirmed. “He came in while Megan and I were having our coffee.” She shook her head. “There’s something strange between the two of them.”
“Strange like what?” He finished off his water.
“Strange like, I don’t know,” she said.
“Give me a little more than that, would you?” he responded. He looked around the room. “Did Megan introduce you?”
“Yes. Then she left,” Eve answered. “With him. It was weird. He came in after we did, but it was almost like he was looking for her, like he deliberately came to Madrid to find her. He had even sent her driver back to Santa Fe without asking her.”
“Maybe he was paying for the driver.”
Eve shook her head. “No, I don’t think that was it. She flew here commercial, so I figure she was paying for the car service too.”
“Then maybe he’s just protective of her, heard she had come back and he came to town to make sure she was okay, get her back to Los Angeles. Maybe he doesn’t want her to be around here because he knows the police are interested in her.”
“And are they?”
He nodded. “They’ve narrowed down their list of suspects dramatically. The chief made Wallace Hinds lead detective, and the guys say he’s convinced the mistress is the murderer.”
“What’s supposed to be her motive?”
“She was his mistress,” he answered.
“That doesn’t seem like a good motive for murder,” Eve said.
“It is if he’s still married and had lied about getting a divorce. Apparently, there are some witnesses that say she was pretty angry at him before she came back here. One witness will even testify that she went to the Los Angeles County Courthouse to look through the public divorce records. Evidently she stole from him and she was the last one to see him alive. Not to mention that she lied to the police the first time they questioned her.” He shook his head.
“Well, that all sounds pretty circumstantial,” Eve commented.
“There’s more. She also had access to the drug found during the autopsy. Her brother’s a veterinarian, works in San Diego. Vets have that drug readily available, and she made a visit to see him a month or so ago. She has all the DVDs of that television show she told you about, the one where the guy paralyzes his victims with the M99. She’s definitely in trouble. I just hope she’s got a good attorney.”
“She’s got you,” Eve said, eyeing him for his response.
“That’s what everybody seems to think.”
She waited for the explanation.
“Megan told Hinds that I was working for her.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Guess she thought it might make them ease up on her.” He grinned. “She didn’t realize that Hinds doesn’t really care for me. So her strategy actually backfired.”
“What did you do to Hinds?” she asked.
He met her eyes. “Why do you ask it like that?”
“You know what I mean,” she replied. “Why doesn’t he like you?”
“I may have made him mad before I left.”
Eve shook her head but chose not to ask for details. “So, did you decide to help her?”
“Yeah, I did. You know I like the kid, and I don’t think she’s guilty of murder, and then when I heard this gives me the chance to piss off both the chief and Wallace, how could I refuse?”
Eve wasn’t sure if this was good news or bad. She glanced down at his missing foot, deciding to ask the question she had been wanting to ask since he got home. “The prosthetic didn’t work?”
He looked down as well, shook his head. “It’s no good.”
She slid down in her chair, defeated. If he had made up his mind not to use the prosthetic, then there was nothing she could do to change it. She would have to figure out how to help him adjust to life using crutches. “Did it just not fit or did it hurt? Was there something wrong with Ricky?”
“Nah, nothing like that,” he answered. “I like Ricky, invited him for supper next Friday.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I didn’t like the skin color.”
Eve was confused.
“They had some pasty white foot attached to a brace. I told him to take it back and get me a brown foot. I got Spanish blood. I can’t have a pasty white foot. The new one will be here next week.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Megan’s arrest made all the headlines. It was the topic of conversation on the entertainment television news shows and even made most editions of the national network nightly news programs. She was charged with murder, arraigned, and released on an extremely high bail, but was ordered to stay in New Mexico, a sort of house arrest.
Ron Polland flew back with her and her attorney to Santa Fe at the time she was arrested, arranged bail, and even found a house, which Eve suspected he rented, for her to stay in while she awaited the trial. He had suddenly become the most loyal supporter of the Hollywood actress and seemed never to leave her side.
Once the contract had been written up and signed both by Megan’s attorney, a Mr. Lee McDonald, well-known lawyer to the stars, and the Captain, the Divine Private Detective Agency was back in business. Evangeline instantly became driver, secretary, bookkeeper, and assistant. She had promised to get the office on Firehouse Lane in order, continue to tidy the place up a bit, and shuttle her father back and forth to Santa Fe since he had not yet been cleared to drive, but she had not realized she had also agreed to work alongside him. The details of the business arrangement between lawyer and private detective were clear and spelled out in a binding contract. The details of a nun assisting her ailing but recuperating father had never been discussed.
“The first thing we need to f
ind out is where Cheston was going when he left his house the morning he was scheduled to be in Los Angeles.” The Captain was sitting on the edge of his bed while Ricky knelt in front of him strapping on the new prosthetic.
This was the third attempt. The second one, though pigmented to the Captain’s specifications, turned out to be a woman’s ankle and foot. Once the Captain saw it, he wouldn’t allow the young man from Atlas Prosthetics in the house, even though Evangeline teased him that having a woman’s lower leg might improve his chances of “getting his foot back in the door” at the Santa Fe police station.
Once the chief of police and Wallace Hinds found out that Divine was working for the accused murderer, everyone on the force was barred from having any communication with the former police detective. Even Daniel limited his contact with Jackson to outside of work and on his own time. He told his ex-partner that he was being watched closely by his superiors and couldn’t risk talking to him on company time.
“If we can find out where he was going that morning before flying back to L.A. and whom he might have seen, then we will have a huge piece of this mystery solved. We’d probably even have the killer.”
Eve was sitting in the chair across from the two men, taking notes. “Maybe he left the night before,” she said. “Remember Megan said she never saw him after he was in the hot tub. Maybe he got out, saw that she was asleep in his bed, and left the house then.”
“No, that’s not what happened.”
Eve was confused. “But if she was the only one at the house, then she’s the one who saw him last, and she said that she didn’t see him again after he was in the hot tub.”
“Turns out she recanted that part of the story too,” he responded.
“What? When?” Eve asked, shaking her head.