A Taste of Death

by Suzanne Rossi

  Anne looked at the unconscious George Harrison, his head gushing blood. Gary the Gargoyle lay wedged between his body and the staircase.

  The more she stared, the more she had the urge to laugh hysterically.

  “Oh shit, I’m going to throw up!” Lisa dashed down the hallway toward the bathroom.

  Outside, squealing tires told her the police had arrived. She hurried to open the front door. A moment later, Gil entered with his gun drawn. Five other officers followed.

  Anne’s knees turned to jelly. Her head spun. She grasped the newel post and sank onto the bottom step.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Annie, are you all right?” Gil demanded.

  She nodded, gulping for air before leaping to her feet and racing upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.

  “Stay put,” he told her as the other officers called for an ambulance.

  Anne ignored him. “Lisa! I have to get to Lisa!”

  She reached the top of the stairs as her daughter came out of the bathroom. Footsteps pounded on the steps behind her. She gathered Lisa into her arms.

  “Oh, Mommy! Is he dead? Did I kill him?” she sobbed as they held each other tightly.

  Gil joined them and called down from the balcony. “Is he alive?”

  “Yes, but just barely. He’s hardly breathing. I called for an ambulance,” an officer replied.

  He turned and folded both women into his arms kissing first Anne’s forehead, and then Lisa’s.

  “He’s hurt, but still alive.”

  “I…I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just let him kill you,” Lisa wailed. “I thought he had when I heard the gun go off. Am…am I going to go to jail?”

  Gil gave them one last hug before loosening his grip.

  “No. Here, let’s go into your mother’s office. You can tell me the whole story.”

  He led them into the room, told the men downstairs where he was and instructed them to let him know when the paramedics arrived. He reentered the room and closed the door.

  Anne sat next to Lisa on the sofa while Gil pulled her desk chair over in front of them.

  “Now, Annie, you go first. What happened?”

  Taking a deep breath, she gave him the details as he wrote things down in his notebook. “I suspected that Becky may have been the ghost, and while I thought Fran and George may have had problems, I didn’t realize he had engineered the plan.”

  “We’ll get a warrant for the antique store immediately.” He turned his attention to Lisa. “Now can you tell me what happened from your point of view?”

  “Should I leave?” Anne asked, remembering previous interrogations she’d undergone.

  Gil shook his head. “She’s a minor. A parent should be present. Now, Lisa, tell me what happened.”

  Her daughter nodded in jerky movements. “I…I didn’t feel good today so I stayed home from school. Mom and I had lunch up here and she told me she was expecting a friend to drop by. I decided to use her computer to game for a while. I heard the doorbell ring and thought it was her friend, so I didn’t pay any attention.”

  Anne rose and grabbed a tissue box, then returned to drop it in Lisa’s lap. The girl pulled a couple out, wiped her face, and blew her nose.

  “Are you all right, Mom? I mean really all right?”

  “Yes, honey, I’m fine thanks to you. Go on.”

  Gil smiled as if trying to reassure them all was well even though she had two seriously injured people in her foyer.

  “Well, like I said, I didn’t pay any attention. The doorbell rang again, then again about a minute later. I was curious, so I came out onto the balcony as Mom let this lady in. I started to come back in the office when I realized the woman was really upset. I kinda stopped, wondering if I should offer to help when I heard a man’s voice. Then I heard Mom saying something about putting a gun down.” She paused to take a shaky breath. “I tiptoed to the railing and saw this guy holding a gun on Mom and the lady. I crept back into the office, closed the door as quietly as I could, called 9-1-1, told them what was happening and to notify you. Then I hid in the closet. Only, I couldn’t stay there, not knowing what was going on. Don’t be mad at me, Mom, but I was so scared he’d hurt you.”

  “I’m not mad, sweetie.”

  Gil wrote furiously in his notebook. A knock on the door had him opening it.

  “Paramedics are here, Detective Collins.”

  “Tell them I’ll be down in a minute.” He resumed his seat. “Go on, Lisa. What did you do next?”

  “I…I opened the door again and heard him saying something about how he killed some waiter or someone. I knew I had to do something, so I looked around the room for a weapon. All I saw was the computer. Then I spotted Gary. I thought that maybe if I tossed him over the balcony, it would distract him and Mom could get away.”

  “Gary?” Gil asked.

  “Gary the Gargoyle—remember? I told you about him the other day,” Anne said.

  “Oh, that’s right. So you grabbed this statue?”

  Lisa nodded. “He’s kinda heavy, but I was so scared I didn’t notice. I just came to the railing. The guy was standing almost directly beneath me. I didn’t stop to think. I just dropped it. It hit him in the head. Then the gun went off, Mom and the other lady screamed, and I felt really sick to my stomach.”

  Gil smiled, put his notebook into his jacket pocket, and pinched her daughter’s chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Kid, you did a great job. Now, I want both of you to go pack. You can’t stay here tonight. You can bunk in with me. Okay?”

  Anne nodded and rose. Helping Lisa to her feet, they left the room. She pushed the girl down the hallway.

  “Start packing, I’ll be along in a minute.” She then dared a peek over the balcony. “Oh, my God, what a mess.”

  Blood was pooled near the living room archway and along the staircase. George Harrison still lay unmoving on a gurney. As the paramedics wheeled him out, a second gurney was brought in. Becky was loaded on to it where the medicos bandaged her shoulder. She continuously sobbed and repeated, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she’d die.”

  Gil pulled her away. “Don’t worry. I know a company who specializes in this sort of clean-up. I can have them here as soon as forensics is finished.”

  “I kicked the gun into the living room.”

  “We’ll get it.”

  She started to move down the hall, and then stopped.

  “Ken! Ken will be home soon.”

  “I’ll send an officer over to the school to bring him to my house.”

  Anne checked on Lisa. “Need any help?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Remember to pack those meds.” Lisa nodded and headed for her bathroom.

  Anne continued on to her room and stared at the walls. The clock on her nightstand told her it was not quite three. All this has happened in less than two hours. It seemed like a lifetime.

  Shaking her head, she pulled a small suitcase from the closet and proceeded to fill it with clothes and toiletries, even remembering to pack a few things for Ken. Finished, she met Lisa in the hallway. They paused at the top of stairs. Harrison was gone, but the blood wasn’t. His head wound had bled all over the place.

  Several people were in the foyer and the living room, including Gil. He looked up at them.

  “Come on down and go straight out the front door to my car. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  “I think I’m gonna barf again,” Lisa murmured as they descended.

  “No, you’re not. Just take a deep breath and walk on past.”

  She was on the front porch when she suddenly remembered.

  “Bruno! Gil, I can’t leave Bruno here alone. I haven’t seen him since we got home from the doctor’s.”

  “I’ll find him.”

  She popped the trunk on Gil’s car, tossed their bags into it, and then settled in the front seat. Lisa got in the back.

  “Are you okay, honey?” she asked.<
br />
  “Better than an hour ago. God, look! All the neighbors are out and staring.”

  “Let ’em stare. I’ll explain some other time.”

  Her head felt like it was clamped in a vice. She leaned it against the headrest and closed her eyes. Will this day never end?

  Several minutes later, Gil appeared with a shaking Bruno.

  “Found him hiding in the corner of the laundry room.” He dumped the shih-tzu in her lap and a plastic grocery bag at her feet. “His bowls and some food, his leash, and a box of doggie treats. I’ll be back in a minute, then we can go down to the station and you can make your official statements.”

  “You mean I have to tell this all over again?” Lisa said in a tortured tone.

  “Sorry, hon, but I’m afraid so. It shouldn’t take long. Anne, Ken is on his way to my place. You might want to call him.”

  She nodded and pulled her cell from her purse.

  “Mom, are you all right? What’s going on?” His tone was part demanding and all scared.

  She spent the next ten minutes telling him the events of the past couple of hours. “I’ll go into it further when we get to Gil’s, but first we have to go to the police station.”

  Gil got in the car as she hung up. They looked at each other. He reached out and smoothed his hand down her cheek.

  “Lady, you gotta quit doing this to me. My heart won’t stand it.”

  He started the car and pulled away.

  ****

  The trip to the police station didn’t take as long as Anne had feared. Both she and Lisa repeated what they’d already told Gil, signed the statements, and left.

  It was a little after five when they pulled into Gil’s driveway. A police cruiser was parked at the curb. Ken immediately bailed out of it and raced toward them.

  “Mom! Are you all right? Is anybody dead?” he exclaimed as he hugged her tightly.

  “I’m fine and nobody’s dead thanks to your sister.” She explained Lisa’s part in the affair.

  “You brained him with Gary the Gargoyle? Way to go, sis!”

  Lisa stared at him and burst into tears. Ken released his mother and hugged his sister.

  Meanwhile, Gil thanked the patrol officer and got the suitcases out of the car.

  “Come on, let’s get you all inside. We’ll order in pizza and I’ll contact the cleaning company.”

  “Cleaning company?” Ken asked, his arm still around his sister’s shoulders.

  “There was, like, blood everywhere,” Lisa said mopping her eyes with the hem of her T-shirt.

  Anne retrieved Bruno and his things from the car and joined them, grateful Gil had played dog sitter in his office while she and Lisa gave their statements. If she remembered correctly, Gil’s house had three bedrooms and two baths. She hoped they didn’t need to impose upon him for long.

  “Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable,” he said as he took their suitcases down the hallway.

  Lisa and Ken flopped into a pair of armchairs, while Anne chose the sofa. Gil joined her.

  “I imagine you can use a drink,” he said to her.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “I wouldn’t mind one myself,” Lisa mumbled.

  “Not on my watch, young lady,” Anne said.

  Gil laughed and headed for the kitchen. He returned with a glass of red wine for Anne, and a couple of glasses of soda for the kids. He then ordered a pizza.

  Anne took a healthy swig and let the Chianti slide down her dry throat as Gil’s phone rang.

  “Collins… Good. I want the place picked apart. Did you also get one for the house? I requested that at the same time… Excellent. I’ll meet you at the antique store in ten minutes. In the meantime, if you come across something that needs more warrants, let me know.”

  He hung up and faced Anne. “That was Detective Sawyer. He’s at Fran’s Fabulous Finds with a search warrant. They also got one for the house. I’ve got to go. Will you be all right on your own?”

  “Sure. How long will it take?” she asked.

  “Not sure, but the pizza is paid for. Just give the driver a tip, and remember to save me a couple of pieces.” He kissed her forehead. “Oh, and I’ve got you and Lisa in the front bedroom. Ken you’re stuck with the pull out in my office.”

  As he left the house, Anne rummaged in her purse for a bottle of aspirin.

  “This has been a helluva day.” She swallowed one with a gulp of wine.

  “Amen to that,” Lisa replied. “I’m not sure how much I can eat. The tomato sauce will probably remind me of all that blood in the hallway.”

  “Oh, thanks, like I need to hear that,” Ken drawled.

  “Oh, and Mom, you don’t need to bunk in with me. I may be contagious. Besides, I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable with Gil.”

  Anne stared. “Wha…what? What makes you say that?”

  “Well, duh! Paula moved in with Daddy a few months ago. I just kind of assumed you and Gil had moved beyond the hand-holding stage.”

  She was saved from making a reply by the arrival of the pizzas. Her hot face told her she was blushing again.

  Damn, they grow up much too fast.

  ****

  Anne ignored her daughter’s sage advice and slept on the sofa in the living room. She awoke sometime around six o’clock to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of the coffeemaker burbling in the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she padded out to greet Gil.

  “Are you just now getting home?” she asked noting his tired expression.

  “Yeah, Ms. Harrison’s shop took forever to search. The house wasn’t so bad, but took time all the same.”

  “Find anything?”

  “I’ll say. How did the kids sleep?”

  “Okay, I guess. I should be getting Ken up for school.”

  “Oh, and I called the cleaning company for an emergency clean. They came around midnight, so the foyer should be fine.”

  “Thank you.”

  She poured a cup of coffee and knocked on Ken’s door, then poked her head in to wake him. She then looked in on Lisa.

  “I’m awake, Mom, and feeling much better. Can I go to school?”

  Anne felt her daughter’s forehead. Cool to the touch. The fever was gone.

  “Yes. Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen.”

  She returned to Gil and the tantalizing smell of microwaving sausages. “Can I borrow your car? I have to take the kids to school.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’m going to grab something to eat and then try to catch some sleep. I’ll bring you up to date later.”

  After dropping the kids off, Anne cruised by her house. Opening the front door, she stared in amazement. The foyer hadn’t been this clean since she’d moved in fifteen years ago. Even the grout between the marble tiles was arctic white. At least she and the kids would sleep in their own beds tonight.

  Back at Gil’s she let herself in quietly, and then called Jen and Rose with yesterday’s events.

  “You know, I’ve heard it said that when someone is murdered, the first suspects are the family,” Jen told her. “We should have gone with that assumption. And you said he seemed so heartbroken at the funeral. Scumbag. I guess the Snoop Group can chalk up another one in the win column.”

  “Oh, my God, I don’t believe it,” Rose said in a horror-filled tone. “And Lisa saved the day? That is one fine kid you’ve raised, that’s all I can say.” She paused. “I don’t suppose you’ve read your e-mail lately, have you?”

  “Yesterday morning was the last. Hasn’t been at the top of my to-do list. Why?” She really didn’t need any more problems.

  Rose sighed. “Kathy Samuels e-mailed all of the board members with the news that Susan Lynch contacted her and was irate that other candidates stepped forward for the treasurer’s position, and that holding the election so soon didn’t allow for campaigning. Claimed it was a conspiracy to keep her off the board. The upshot is Susan withdrew from the chapter and, get this, is forming her own writ
er’s group to rival Writers Association of America.”

  Anne didn’t know how hard to laugh. “Like that’s going to happen. The good news is she’s no longer a pain in my backside, and we’ll have a competent treasurer soon. I’ll call Kathy later. Thanks, Rose.”

  Gil rose in time for lunch. As they feasted on leftover pizza, he filled her in.

  “The warrants gave us a lot of ammunition for prosecution. George liked to keep records. Must be the CPA training. It’s also his downfall.”

  “So what did you find in the shop?”

  “Plenty of drug residue in the warehouse—marijuana, cocaine, heroin, PCP, you name it, we found it.”

  “So George Harrison was using his wife’s antique shop as a drug depository?” Anne said.

  Gil nodded. “One of his CPA clients was Jorge Ramirez. He’s a hood living the high life in Miami. Shipments of antiques stuffed with contraband would arrive at the shop. Harrison would hold the items concealing the drugs in the back room until the bag man could get them. Harrison got a nice cut of the action.”

  “Only one day, Fran accidentally saw a man leave with an urn she knew wasn’t on the inventory and questioned George about it. He does a song and dance about a special customer who was in one day requesting a specific item while she was out. And Fran, being Fran, got curious. I wonder why?” Anne asked.

  Gil shrugged. “She may have been suspicious about the books. After all, in spite of what he told you, George was a CPA and in charge of that aspect of the business.”

  “Fran worked there most of the week, so she’d know how many sales there were in general.”

  “And may have realized the end-of-the-month reports didn’t jibe with her numbers.”

  “And one day when George is out of town on one of his so-called buying trips, Fran gets on his private computer and discovers a lot of money going overseas. Hence, the private investigators and the lawyers. I’ll bet Fran did have the account numbers and every intention of bolting with the ill-gotten gains.”

  “No doubt.”

  “How’s Becky doing?”

  “Bullet went clean through. Forensics dug it out of your wall. She’s under arrest in the secure wing at the hospital and singing like the old proverbial bird.”