Armoires and Arsenic: A Darling Valley Cozy Mystery with Women Sleuths Olivia M. Granville and Tuesday (A Darling Valley Mystery)

by Cassie Page

  Mr. Bacon stopped to admire one of the two secretaries that bookended the wing chairs, a magnificent late 18th century South German beauty, circa 1800, all parquetry, ormolu and hidden drawers. He checked the price tag, but didn’t blanch at the cost, $24,000. His only complaint was that the tag didn’t include the region of Germany where it was made.

  Olivia said, “It came from Heidelberg.”

  Bacon replied, “I would have said Munich. No disrespect. Like from one of Mad King Ludvig’s castles up in the Bavarian mountains. The color of the walnut and all.”

  Behind his back Olivia screwed her face into a who is this guy grimace. How does he know from Ludvig’s castles? Wouldn’t this make a great Facebook post: The time I debated German baroque details with a celebrity look alike mobster while under suspicion of murder.”

  Bacon said it might work in his study. “I’ll think aboud it,” he mused, as if making a mental note, then asked if two o’clock would work. Olivia made a show of asking him to wait while she checked her calendar in her office, then came out, assured him two o’clock was fine and walked him to the door. She could not detect a limp. Why the cane? If he’s trying to pass as British aristocracy, he must have skipped the elocution lessons.

  He reached into his wallet. “Two o’clock then. My card, in case there is an emergency.” Emoigency.

  She thanked him, and after closing the door, kissed the card and headed back upstairs to make coffee for Cody.

  Chapter Seven: The Doctor Is In

  A short while later Cody came in the back door beating his head and shoulders, a parody of swatting off a plague of gnats. “Those reporters were eating me alive.”

  The press people were edging up the driveway, but a female police officer had kept them from following Cody into the yard.

  “Aren’t they supposed to stay behind the yellow tape? They’re getting closer and closer to the back door. Pretty soon they’ll be inside.”

  Olivia sighed. “I know. It’s like watch a river rise, waiting for it to flood your house.

  He had no news. He never found Roger, so he drove by Blackman’s to see what was up there. When he saw the police were all over the place, all eight of them, he didn’t stop to gawk. Now he wandered around the office as Olivia plotted their next move.

  Olivia saw through the showroom windows the reporters, as if hearing the blast of a starting gun, suddenly turn and run to their respective vehicles, the drivers creating gridlock and swearing at each other as they jockeyed for position to make U-turns in the narrow street and peel off towards downtown. Olivia shrugged her shoulders. “Is there a new find at Blackman’s? Are they headed for the police station? Maybe they’ve arrested the killer.”

  She led Cody up the stairs to the kitchen. He dropped the Toyota’s keys on the island and held up crossed fingers, “We can only hope.”

  After they finished up a fresh pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain and French toast, Cody cleared the dishes into the sink. Over breakfast they had tried to piece together the crime, possible suspects and motives. But the police were closed mouth and they just didn’t have anything to go on. They realized they would just have to live with their impatience and anxiety until they had more information.

  “I give up,” Olivia said. “Let me drive you home. We’re not going to get any work done this morning. She explained to the officer in charge her errand. “I’ll be right back,” she promised, then dropped Cody off at his parent’s house.

  “I’ll see you at the police department,” he said, waving goodbye.

  Olivia leaned over to talk through the rolled down passenger window. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up?”

  “Nah, I can walk from here.” Cody set his cap and headed up the walk. “See ya.”

  Olivia returned home, her head roiling with questions. The first thing she noticed was the coroner’s van in the driveway and an unfamiliar Mercedes sports car behind it. She checked the Toyota’s clock. Eleven on the dot. Thankfully, the press had not returned. She walked up to the police officer directing traffic in the driveway and listened in on his conversation with a well-dressed man Olivia guessed was the owner of the fancy car. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Probably someone she passed on Darling Boulevard, small town and all that.

  “Sorry, sir. That’s out of my jurisdiction. You’ll have to call Detective Richards or Johnson to get permission to examine the body.”

  The officer recognized Olivia and said, “Please step back, ma’am. I’m conducting an interview here.”

  Olivia retreated several feet, but the men’s voices carried. The man was objecting loudly. “But I’m Mr. Blackman’s physician. He had a heart condition. From what Detective Richards told his wife, I’m sure he had a heart attack. Let me examine him so I certify that and we can move this along. Make the funeral arrangements. His wife is also my patient. She’s just had a brutal shock as it is but the thought of an autopsy is well . . . I had to sedate her when she heard. I’m sure you can understand. C’mon, guys.”

  Olivia imagined him giving the officer a conspiratorial wink.

  “Sir, this is a murder investigation. We have procedures.”

  “Murder? Oh my god. I wasn’t told. I don’t believe that.” The man looked around and tugged at his hair. “Look officer, I’m a physician. I can declare Mr. Blackman dead and you can fill out your forms. Let’s help the widow out here. This is bad enough without making her sit around and wait for the bureaucracy to kick in.”

  The officer put up his hand. “I’m sorry sir. I called it in and we have to follow protocol. The coroner has to rule on suspicious deaths. I’m sure you know that.”

  Olivia saw the man stamp his foot like a petulant child. “What’s suspicious about a heart attack?”

  Olivia assumed he hadn’t been given all the particulars, the armoire, the ropes. What did he think Blackman was doing at Olivia’s house? The man’s voice was rising.

  “Well, then, I’ll just call the ME who is a friend of mine and have her deputize me. You know you don’t even have to be an M.D. to be a coroner, so certainly I have the credentials. I won’t stand for my patient having to bear any more stress than is necessary when we can settle this right now, right here.”

  He stepped away and pulled out his cell phone, punched in a number. A moment later he left a message saying, “Amelia, call me as soon as you get this. It’s about the Blackman case. I need you to step in. It’s urgent. Call me.” He gave his number and stuck the phone back in his pocket.

  Just then two men came down the driveway steering a gurney with a body bag riding on top. The doctor tried to stop them, then watched, spluttering expletives as they secured Blackman’s corpse inside the van and handed a clipboard to the police officer for a signature.

  The doctor made one more try. “Stop, stop. I’m a doctor and I’m giving you orders to stay right here until Dr. Hardy calls me.”

  He pulled out his phone and held it up as if the EMT’s didn’t know what a call meant. The officer gave the clipboard back to the van driver then turned to the man. “Doctor, you’ll have to move your car so the van can get out.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  The officer spread his hands. “Up to you. Obstruction of justice. I’d have to take you in.” He rattled his handcuffs hanging from a loop on the side of his pants.

  The doctor brushed past Olivia without looking at her, got in his car , backed out of the drive way and drove off in a squeal of rubber. Olivia wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard the officer call the man an asshole to his partner. Then he informed Olivia that the victim was being transported to the coroner’s office and they would all be leaving.

  “Can you take the crime tape with you?”

  “No, ma’am. We can’t have anyone messing around here. This is still an active crime scene.”

  Olivia watched the last car drive off and returned to her loft to collect her thoughts. First up, a run to clear her head.

  She follo
wed her usual route through the flat streets behind Darling Boulevard, past the smallish Tudors and Victorians, homes on property too small to allow teardowns, unless the buyers bought two homes and rebuilt on double lots. In some cases they’d need three to compete with the larger mansions up in the hills, but so far Darling Valley hadn’t approved the zoning for that kind of land grab. She had mixed feelings about that development practice. On one hand it was good for her business if she could snag one of the renovations. On the other, she hated to see historic homes demolished. Some of these buildings dated back to the late 19 century. Not her problem today she decided half an hour later as she rounded the corner and headed for her driveway.

  She entered her house by the back door sweaty and red-faced, her phone buzzing with news alerts. The press had identified the victim, variously speculated on the cause of death, positing everything but drowning and disembowelment and listed the location where the body was found. One website confused the name of her shop with Blackman’s, calling it Darling Valley Antique Restoration. For once she didn’t mind a publicity miscue. Maybe it would tone down unwanted attention. The next alert squashed that when she saw a dated picture of herself with Brooks at an opening in Beverly Hills. For the first time, she had top billing: Noted Designer Fingered In Billionaire’s Death. Blackman a billionaire? Then why was he running a cabinetry shop? And she’d been fingered? Whatever happened to checking your sources? She stuck her phone deep in her purse as though that would silence it and stripped off her running jersey as she headed for the shower.

  She zipped up the Tory Burch tunic and smoothed it over her knife-creased pants just as the shop phone began ringing. By now, the whole town must have read the Internet reports of a murder in Billionaires’ Hollow, Wall Street’s nickname for the town favored as a retreat for the world’s wealthiest. Some called it Newport West, but that was stretching it. The boutiques on Darling Boulevard rivaled Beverly Hills’ finest, but thanks to the Alaska current running down the Pacific west coast, the nearest beach required down jackets and fur-lined boots suitable for the arctic.

  Olivia picked up the extension phone. The janitorial company had to cancel their appointment to clean the shop prior to the sale. Something about staff catching a virus. Within fifteen minutes, three of the personal assistants for her best clients called to cancel orders. Best clients meaning the ones who only bought knickknacks and inexpensive occasional pieces. But, somehow, the chairs and tables that had been perfect finds last week would no longer work. Each assistant gave a version of, “So sorry, Olivia. I’m sure you understand.”

  Oh she understood, all right. The few people who had taken a chance on the newcomer regretted their decisions now that they were doing business with a possible murderer. That brought up another issue. Was Sabrina Chase going to proceed with her charity auction on the heels of losing her business partner? And, if yes, did she still want a donation from Olivia? She dialed her number, but it went into voice mail, so she left a message. Mentally crossing off that task, she turned her attention to her tenant.

  Mrs. Harmon would be up by now and Olivia needed to find out if she had heard her knocking about last night or this morning. She locked the French doors into the showroom, a habit to keep customers from wandering into her office, and put a “Back in 10” sign on the front door. But now she could see through the pane windows that CNN and FOX News trucks were setting up their Star Wars equipment across the street. Where had they come from? Were they Johnny come latelys who had gotten stuck in traffic on the narrow mountain road from Highway 101 while the local outlets were nailing down the story, or was something new about to break?

  As soon as she opened the door to walk around to the side, two reporters raced up and jammed microphones in her face.

  “Is Brooks here, Olivia? Can we have a picture of you two together?”

  Olivia slammed the door, locked it from the inside and ran back to her office. Even here in Darling Valley everything was about Brooks. She expected the paparazzi to follow them on their dates in LA when she was his current eye candy. By herself, though, even as a murder suspect, by comparison she was as interesting as a chain link fence. They only saw her as an opportunity to get a shot of Brooks, find out something sleazy about him and do an exclusive. But if they could tie the sensational Brooks Baker, boy wonder, to a murder case, that could make careers. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. Would she ever get that man out of her life?

  She took the inside stairs down to the tiny sliver of basement left after the Cooks had carved out Mrs. Harmon’s apartment. Mrs. Harmon’s living room door opened onto the driveway, giving her a private entrance and easy access to the garage, another contingency Olivia had to swallow. It was a one car garage with no room on her property to add a space for her truck. However, Mrs. Harmon’s kitchen door opened onto the laundry area they both shared, plus a few shelves holding flashlights, Olivia’s household supplies and a toolbox. At the end of the narrow corridor, there was a door that led up a few steps to the outside that Mrs. Harmon could use to get to the trash and her corner of the garden out of sight of customers in the Garden Center. Olivia complained about that perk to the Cooks. “I have no private space in my own garden.” They suggested she give up her Garden Center, part of her livelihood.

  As yet, the press didn’t seem aware of Mrs. Harmon’s existence. What would the poor woman do when they parked outside her door, forcing her to fight her way to the garage? Olivia tried to be sympathetic to that one.

  In answer to Olivia’s knock, Mrs. Harmon cracked open her door in a matching peach Charmeuse and lace peignoir and negligee elegant enough for an opera opening. She gave Olivia a cool greeting. Olivia did not assume her tenant hid behind her door because she was embarrassed about her attire; the reclusive Mrs. Harmon always acted as though she were hiding something or someone in her apartment. Olivia could not see much beyond the woman’s perfectly coiffed silver hair and that she had yet to apply her signature pale lipstick and navy mascara. Her stately looks always took Olivia’s breath away. If Olivia was a Botticelli, Mrs. Harmon was a John Singer Sergeant.

  Mrs. Harmon waited for Olivia to announce her intentions. “Mrs. Harmon. I’m sorry to bother you but I’m sure you’ve seen the commotion in the back drive.”

  The small apartment was half below ground but with many high windows that afforded brilliant morning light and a view of the rear Garden Center and yard.

  “I could hardly avoid seeing the police.” She spit out this observation as though she were being taxed for each syllable.

  At least their feet Olivia thought but didn’t say.

  “Is there a problem, Miss Granville?” She had so far refused all of Olivia’s entreaties to call her by her first name.”

  “Well, yes, you could say that. It seems a body was crammed into an armoire of mine.” Olivia all but gagged on the word body.

  “Oh dear. Who is it and how did it get in there?”

  “Well, that’s part of the problem. I took delivery of a shipment from Blackman’s shop. Well, when Cody and I opened the armoire, well . . . “ Olivia shuddered. “There he was. Mr. Blackman is the victim. But why and who did it? That’s the puzzle.”

  Was it just Olivia, or wouldn’t it have been nicer for Mrs. Harmon to invite her in to sit down for a moment?

  Mrs. Harmon fairly sneered at the name Blackman. Her aging vocal chords rasped, “I didn’t know you dealt with those unsavory people.”

  “Unsavory? Why they came very highly recommended,” Olivia said, surprise all over her face. Mrs. Harmon had spoken little to her in the few months they had lived in the same building, but she had never said anything negative or backstabbing. Yet, she certainly wasn’t shedding any tears over Mr. Blackman’s demise.

  “Recommended? Not by anyone I know.” The haughty response was a side of Mrs. Harmon Olivia had not seen before. Maybe this little old lady wasn’t all sweetness and tea in English china cups after all, as Olivia had assumed from her stately demean
or.

  “And who would that be, Mrs. Harmon? The people you know?”

  Mrs. Harmon smiled blankly as though she hadn’t heard the question, but Olivia didn’t believe that for a minute. She knew she was pushing the bounds of privacy in asking who her tenant socialized with, but Olivia’s timeline didn’t allow for the niceties of waiting until they were BFFs to reveal details of their personal lives. She was on a mission and her own safety was in jeopardy. Someone in town had something on Blackman’s. Was her own life in jeopardy? She had to find out who was behind this murder.

  Who could have a grudge against Olivia and implicate her in a deadly plot? In her experience, DV didn’t like newcomers, though the realtor never told her that as she extolled the virtues of the town when Olivia was on the hunt for property. Would someone do this just for spite?

  “Mrs. Harmon, I’ll get to the point. The police have asked that I provide a witness to my whereabouts last night and this morning . . . “

  Now it was Mrs. Harmon’s turn to show surprise. “Did you have something to do with it . . .the murder?”

  “Well, of course not. It’s merely a formality since the body appeared on my property.” Olivia noted how quickly Mrs. Harmon put two and two together and got murder. No slouch she. But why wasn’t she shocked or upset? This seemed to merely be an inconvenience for her. An occasion for Olivia to bother her by knocking on her door.

  Olivia heard the phone ring in her office upstairs. “Mrs. Harmon, I’ll get to the point. Did you by any chance hear anything coming from the showroom or my office or even my loft last night or this morning?”

  “No, I can’t say that I did. You know my apartment is soundproofed. I can only hear noise coming from upstairs if I am out in the hall, as you are now.”