by Roslyn Woods
“But you’d need a ladder. Besides, I’ve got my pocket knife.”
“Okay. I’ll pick the hot peppers,” she said, putting the coffee cup down on the corner of a raised bed and turning toward the vegetables behind her.
“Okay,” he said, but she caught a glimpse of him when she looked back at him. The smile on his face seemed—what was it?—warm. That look sent a little thrill through Tavy. But no, she mustn’t think anything of it. It was natural they should have friendly feelings toward one another. Gus had been a close friend of her father’s, so it made sense he felt a sort of brotherly kindness toward her. That was all it was.
She picked the peppers—Santa Fe, Hatch, and cayenne chilies—and had started in on the bells when Gus spoke again. He was standing under the trellis, a crate full of red grapes seated in the gravel beside him.
“Tavy, there’s something here you’ve gotta see!”
She stood and walked over to the grape trellis.
“What is it?” she asked, stepping under the vines.
“It’s through here,” he said, guiding her to the center of the grapes that hung overhead. “Look through the leaves.”
She tried to see but couldn’t at first. He stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her slightly to get the right angle on whatever it was.
“Right through there. Do you see it?” he asked.
She could feel his breath in her hair as he spoke, ever so softly, as if he feared too much volume would break a spell.
Then she saw it. There, through the tender emerald leaves, was a large and intricate spider’s web. It was still wet from the rain that had fallen in the night, and the light that was breaking through the clouds to the east had turned the water droplets to diamonds.
“Oh my!” she breathed. “It’s incredible! It looks so delicate, and yet it survived the storm! We need a camera!”
“But the light will be gone by the time we get it,” he whispered. “We just have to seal it in our memories.”
She turned slightly to smile at him and was surprised to find his face so close to hers. Neither of them moved. He was still holding her shoulders while their eyes locked. She didn’t know how much time passed before Gus turned her around to face him. Ever so slowly, his hands slid down to the small of her back as he pulled her gently toward him, and he bent his head toward hers.
“Gus!” someone was shouting. “Gus!”
It was a woman’s call, and Tavy knew, as the magic was shattered, exactly who owned that voice.
Gus released her rather suddenly. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at Tavy with a startled expression that told her he couldn’t believe he had almost made a terrible mistake. Then the gate pushed open and Rhoda came through.
“Hello!” she called, coming around the gate—looking like a fashion model—and finding them both standing guiltily under the trellis. “Well, there you are!” she said.
Her smile was pure saccharin when she spoke. “Gus, darling, Maddie can’t find one of her sandals again!” she said. “How nice to see you again Miss—Miss—”
“Tavy. Just Tavy. Nice to see you, too,” Tavy responded, perhaps a little deflated.
“I’m sorry to interrupt the gardening. I thought Gus would have stopped working over here after the old—your father—passed on.”
“No, Rhoda,” Gus said evenly, “I haven’t. I was just cutting the grapes.”
“Yes,” she smiled. “I see that. With a little help.”
Tavy had no doubt that Rhoda was convinced hanky panky was going on under the grapes, and she had no desire to enlighten her about what she had prevented. She just wanted her to leave. Right now, she wanted both of them to leave.
“I’ve got the rest of this, Gus. Thanks for the help,” Tavy said. “I have to go in and make a phone call now. I hope you both have a nice day,” she added, and she stepped out from under the trellis and headed for the house.
“Thanks, dear!” Rhoda called after her. “Have a lovely day yourself!”
Chapter 61
Friday, August 14, 2 p.m.—Tavy
Florencia arrived while the window repairman was fixing the glass in the backdoor. She sat at the dining table at Tavy’s invitation and had a glass of lemonade with her.
She was astonished when Tavy caught her up on the break-in and arrest of Armen Hanoian.
“Do you remember him?” Tavy asked.
“Yes. I saw him a few times, and his wife Cecelia. But they had finished the windows years ago. They just came by to see Ed every once in a while, and they seemed friendly. I had no idea there were issues between them!”
“Did you know my father was ill?” Tavy asked.
“No—well, there were some signs of his being ill, I guess. He didn’t feel like doing things sometimes. Not the way he had before. I thought he was getting old, to be honest. It didn’t occur to me that he had cancer! But you understand I only saw him on Fridays, and he must have made an effort to hide his illness from all of us.”
“All of you?”
“Me, my husband Omar, Gus, and Maddie.”
“I think he had a surgery in May. The bill that came had a surgery on the list but only a very short hospital stay.”
“I know nothing about it!”
“Neither does Gus.”
“He was gone for a couple of weeks back in May. He went to Portland. At least, he told us he was going to Portland.”
“Did Gus take him to the airport?”
“Uh—let’s see. No, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure he called a cab. It was late in the school year, you see, and Gus was in finals at work. I remember because Ed asked me to do some things at the house while he was gone. I came by and watered plants and checked on everything on my Friday.”
“So he went somewhere after the surgery. Somewhere to recover, I guess.”
“He should have told us!”
“But he was secretive, my father,” Tavy said thoughtfully.
“And he didn’t want to be a burden,” Florencia said.
“Was he like that?”
“I think he had a real aversion to having to be cared for. He wanted to pay me for everything. I finally had to tell him that some of the things people do come from friendship and you can’t pay for it. You have to just accept it.”
“Did you ever meet his ex-wife, Colleen?”
“Oh yes. She came by sometimes. Often, I would guess, since I saw her here quite a bit and I’m only here on Fridays.”
“What’s she like?”
“Oh, she’s okay I guess. She’s always eyeing your dad’s pottery collection. He told me she collects the stuff. Anyway, I got the feeling your dad didn’t like her very well, but they were always trying to figure out what they were going to do with their son.”
“Vincent?”
“Yes. He lost one job after another. The last job he had was working at the fireworks plant out in Bastrop. Your dad had made a deal with him that if he would just hold down a job for a year he would pay off the house he’d bought for him. Imagine that! The rest of us work our lives away to make a house payment for thirty years, and he only had to work one year to get his house paid off!”
“Lucky Vincent.”
“Yes, and your father gave him the down payment in the first place! But he was always getting into trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Tavy asked.
“Well, losing jobs mostly. I know that once he lost a job because he got involved with an underage girl.”
“Oh, no!”
“Yes, and Ed told me it wasn’t the first time.”
“Well, all of this is just very strange and surprising,” Tavy said.
“I know. It is for me, too. The police asked me to come in for an interview.”
“Did you go?”
“Oh, yes. On Tuesday. You can’t say no to the police, can you?”
“How did it go?”
“They wanted to know everything about my job, how well I knew Ed, if
I was ever angry with him, had we ever had an affair. Imagine that! I’m a married woman of fifty and he was nearly eighty! Anyway, they were trying to find out who I thought had a motive to kill him.”
“And was there anyone you thought had a motive?”
“Well, no. He was so kind to everyone, even his stepson.”
“No one was angry with him?”
“Not that I know of. Armen Hanoian did get mad at him once, but Ed was very patient with him and took him out to the front porch and talked to him like he was dealing with a child.”
“A child?”
“Like he was dealing with a confused child.”
Florencia had just gone, and Tavy was making preparations for dinner when the dogs started barking and the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock as she walked through the living room. It was two minutes past four.
It’s too early to be Shell, she thought as she approached the door, drying her hands on a dish towel. Maybe it’s Sergeant Gonzalez with some answers for me.
Looking through the peephole, she saw Rhoda Carpenter standing there.
Oh, shit! What can she want?
The dogs were standing beside her, woofing softly and wagging their tails when Tavy opened the door. “Hello?” she asked.
“Hello, dear. I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot the other night. I was so annoyed with Madison!” Rhoda said. “I want to apologize.”
“Oh, yes, well, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Tavy answered. “Is that all?”
“Well, no, not really. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Uh, well, I guess not,” Tavy said, opening the door wider and stepping back. Then turning to the dogs she said, “Go lie down, girls!”
Blue whined and returned to the rug near the fireplace, and Sadie followed. Tavy gestured for Rhoda to take a seat in the chair nearest the door, and she took the other one.
“Something smells good,” Rhoda observed.
“I’m baking some rolls.”
“Ah!” she said. “And I see you still have our dog.”
“Your dog?”
“Well, Gus and Madison’s.”
“Oh, yes,” Tavy answered quietly. “I had a break-in, and Gus thought I needed protection.”
“But, apparently you have a dog of your own!”
“No, she’s just visiting. A friend is staying with me a couple of nights.”
“Oh really? A boyfriend?”
Why did she sound so hopeful?
“No.” Tavy didn’t want to elaborate. “How can I help you, Mrs. Carpenter?”
“Oh, call me Rhoda, please!”
“I’m a school teacher. Force of habit.”
“Ah, that makes sense, doesn’t it? And a school teacher! I so admire people who teach children! Isn’t that just wonderful?”
“I suppose it is.”
“Well, anyway,” Rhoda was going on, “I thought we should try to be friends since it’s becoming likelier by the minute that we’re going to be neighbors.”
Tavy swallowed. “Neighbors?”
“Well, yes, since Gus and I are working on getting back together.”
“I thought you had remarried.” Tavy said quietly.
“Well, yes, but I still love Gus, you see. And he still loves me, of course. It’s never been right with Manfred and me. We’re just not right for each other. And, of course, Gus and I both see that a reunion would be the best thing for our daughter. She needs us to be a family again.”
“Oh,” Tavy said, feeling as if a brick had landed on her chest. She almost couldn’t breathe.
“She misses him when she’s with me,” Rhoda continued, “and she misses me when she’s with him. And of course we both adore her! Now that she’s almost a teenager, she needs both parents, don’t you think?” she said, pausing. “Oh, I’m sorry! I hope I haven’t upset you! You look kind of pale.”
Rhoda was leaning forward, looking at her with a sweet, false sympathy, but Tavy didn’t have the focus to be angry. All she could deal with at that moment was pain. Gus was reuniting with Rhoda!
“I do?” Tavy said, recovering her breath. “I’ve had a lot going on. I don’t really live here, you know. This is my father’s house. I’m handling all the business related to his death. So, I’m afraid I won’t actually be your neighbor. I’m going back to Portland as soon as the estate is settled.”
Rhoda looked surprised. “Well, are you going to sell the house?” she asked, starting to smile.
“No—I haven’t decided. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Well, I’m sure you know what’s best for you, but it’s a great time to sell. Really a seller’s market!” she suggested. “I imagine you’ve got a life established in Portland that you don’t really want to leave. You have a boyfriend, don’t you?”
“Yes. You’re right,” Tavy answered. The bell on the oven timer went off just then. “Oh, excuse me,” she added. “I’m afraid my guest will be here soon, and I have to finish fixing dinner.”
“Oh, don’t let me stop you! I just wanted to come by and make sure you and I were okay with each other. We’re fine?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t we be?” Tavy asked.
“Exactly. Why wouldn’t we be?” Rhoda said with a smile, and she got up and made her way to the door. “I hope to see you before you go, dear,” she said.
“Yes,” Tavy answered. “That’d be nice.”
Chapter 62
Saturday, August 15, 9 a.m.—Tavy
It was sunny on Saturday. Gus came over and parked his car against the curb at nine. Tavy and Shell were just about ready to leave the house themselves.
“I see most of the vegetables are already gone,” he said, smiling.
“Yes,” Tavy answered. “Please come in.”
“Do you intend to stay up at the lake house very long?” he asked stepping into the living room.
She didn’t feel much like talking to him. If only he hadn’t almost kissed her! That almost was still burning in her memory.
“I have no idea,” she answered, deciding to be noncommittal.
“I could come by after Schutzhund if you think you’ll still be there,” he suggested.
“Suit yourself,” she answered.
She had a moment of satisfaction when Gus had the grace to look hurt.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “Schutzhund should end at about noon, but there’s usually a lunch. I could come over to the house before the lunch starts.”
“But then you’d miss it.”
“I don’t mind.”
“We’ll probably come home around one. If you’re still up there you could come by if you like,” she said, already regretting sounding cold.
Too little, too late.
“I don’t need to come by the lake house, Tavy. I only suggested it because I thought you might need some support. I guess I wasn’t thinking about the fact that you’ve got Shell with you. I’m sure you don’t need me.”
But I do need you. No, she couldn’t say that. She just looked at him without speaking while he attached Blue’s leash. In a minute Shell and Sadie came from the kitchen into the living room.
“I’ve got her all leashed-up for you, Gus,” she said in a friendly way, handing Sadie’s leash to him. “Dean is so sad that he can’t go to Schutzhund today, and we’re both grateful that you can take our dog!”
“No problem,” Gus answered. “I’m happy to do it.”
He smiled politely at Shell but avoided looking at Tavy when he said goodbye. “See y’all later,” he said and turned to go.
Tavy and Shell watched him from the porch as he walked the dogs down the steps and out to the Sequoia.
“Come on, girls!” he said. The dogs were both wagging their tails, and Sadie let out an excited bark. She seemed to know what was happening. Gus put them into the backseat, closed the door, got into the car, and drove away without so much as a nod or wave in Tavy and Shell’s direction.
“What’s going on?” Shell asked.
“Nothing,” Tavy answered.
It took nearly an hour to get there. The house was on Booth Circle Drive on the north side of the lake, but it wasn’t visible from the road. Its number was posted vertically in black metal numerals on a four by four post where the aluminum gate, at the end of a narrow, gravel driveway, was hinged. The gate itself was about eight feet wide and held shut against another wooden post that was wrapped and padlocked with a heavy chain. The weathered wooden fence on either side of it was nearly obscured by a heavy growth of cedar trees near the road.
“It isn’t very welcoming,” Tavy observed as she and Shell got out of the Corolla to examine the padlock. “I suppose one of these keys will work,” she added, choosing the smallest one and fitting it into the lock. It took some effort, but it eventually turned and snapped open. She looked up at Shell and smiled. “We’re in!” she said, unwrapping the chain.
“And maybe we should just leave it open?” Shell suggested.
“Yeah, I really only want to take a look at the place, and we can lock up again when we’re ready to go back,” Tavy answered as she got back into the Corolla.
As they approached, they could see that the house was set on a large lot, possibly an entire acre, and it was screened on all sides by trees. A seventies ranch-style home, it wasn’t big or fancy. It was planted about two hundred feet from the water’s edge, and until they were inside, it was impossible to see the floating dock that jutted out into the lake behind a screen of cedars.
“It feels pretty isolated,” Shell said as they got out of the Corolla. She retrieved her phone from its slot on the dash and shoved it into her jeans pocket before locking the car.
“Yes, it does,” Tavy agreed, noticing the dry, uncut lawn as they approached the front door.
The key went into the lock and turned easily, the door opening to an entry area that faced a sitting room with a modern leather couch, two arm chairs, and a coffee table.
“Kinda sparse,” Tavy commented as she dropped her purse on one of the chairs and walked over to stand in front of the sliding glass doors. “Gus told me this house was where my father lived before he moved into town six years ago.”