“I didn’t realize the college students were getting so unruly.”
“Nah, wasn’t a college student back then. It was none other than Tony Barnet.”
Emma glanced at the shiny new store front. Something prickled at the back of her mind. “Tony Barnet drove through your window? When was that?”
“April third at two am.”
“You know the exact time it happened?”
“Sure. Because of that.” He pointed at the security camera mounted high up on the left hand side of the store’s front wall. “Caught the whole thing on camera.”
“Wow. Who’d have thought?”
“Yeah, my security system is top notch.” Scott hitched up his pants, appearing to enjoy her awe. “I’ve still got the footage on my computer. Want to take a look?”
Oh yes, she definitely wanted a look. The more she delved into Tony Barnet’s life, the more she was intrigued. She nodded and followed Scott into the store. He took her into his office at the back, typed a few commands into his computer, and swiveled the monitor toward her.
Color footage of the area outside the store appeared on the screen. It was dark, and the sidewalk was deserted. Seconds later, a black SUV hurtled into view and slammed into the store, shattering the glass, before coming to a rest a few feet inside the building. Several moments ticked by before a man staggered out through the gaping hole and surveyed the wreckage. The man was clearly Tony Barnet. He scratched his head as if in a daze, then pulled out a cell phone and walked out of view.
“He doesn’t look drunk,” Emma observed.
“He wasn’t. He called the cops, and they came over straight away. Of course he was tested for alcohol, but the tests came back negative. He said he drove into the parking lot to do a U turn, but when he was turning, he mistook the gas pedal for the brakes, and shot through the window.”
“Lucky it happened at two in the morning or someone might have been seriously injured.”
“I know.” Scott played the footage one more time. “I lost thousands of dollars worth of stock, plus the entire front of my store had to be replaced.”
“His insurance would’ve paid though, right?”
“Yeah, but I lost about two days’ business, and I wasn’t compensated for that. But what can you do? I didn’t want to chase after Tony Barnet; he was a good customer, and now the guy’s dead anyway. At least I can make up some of the money I lost by supplying the drink at his funeral.” He turned away from the computer and picked up a sheet of paper. “I just want to go through this order with you one more time.”
“Sure, Scott.” Emma settled down to concentrate on business.
***
Twenty minutes later, Emma was back in her dad’s car and heading for home. She had already called Caitlyn, and her assistant was parked outside Emma’s house, waiting to drive her to Sean’s repair shop. Emma parked her dad’s car in the driveway, then hopped into Caitlyn’s car.
“Thanks for doing this,” Emma said as they drove off.
“Not a problem. Getting a car fixed is always a hassle.”
“Tell me about it.”
Caitlyn dropped Emma off at the auto repair shop and quickly zoomed off. Sean’s business appeared quiet once more. The reception lobby was empty, and Chelsea, the receptionist, was nowhere in sight. Feeling uneasy, Emma walked into the main workshop and saw her little white Toyota hatchback standing there. Well, that was an encouraging sign. At least her car was here, and it seemed ready for her.
“Hello?” she called out. It wasn’t dark yet, but somehow she felt a little nervous standing here in this empty, echoing workshop. “Is anyone here?”
A metallic clatter from behind had her nerves screwing up. She jumped around, hoping it wasn’t that lunkhead Bart McCluskey, and breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Larry Durant sauntering toward her, rubbing his hands on a dirty rag.
“Hi, Larry. I got a call from Chelsea earlier saying my car was ready?”
“Yeah, sure.” He seemed in a glum mood today. “Just need to go into the office and finalize the paperwork and payment.”
He led the way into the empty reception lobby and moved behind the desk where he fumbled through a stack of papers.
“Where’s Chelsea?” Emma asked, wanting to break the dour silence.
“She ain’t here.” Larry’s jaw clamped up, and his face grew more sullen.
Well, someone got out of bed on the wrong side. Emma pressed her lips shut. If Larry was going to be surly, then let him. A door in the corner of the office opened, and Sean stepped out.
Emma turned to him in relief. “Hi, Sean. I’m just here to pick up my car.”
“Oh yeah. Larry did the work on that one.” He glanced at Larry. “Is it all set?”
Larry merely nodded as he pulled out some papers and shoved them at Emma. “Here’s the bill,” he said, sounding resentful.
“Thanks, Larry, I’ll take it from here,” Sean said to his sullen employee.
“Sure, boss.” With a shrug of his shoulders, Larry stalked away.
Had there been a trace of sarcasm in his voice, Emma wondered.
“What’s up with him?” Emma asked. She couldn’t make out Larry. In her previous dealings with him, he’d seemed quite pleasant, especially compared to Bart McCluskey, but today there was something ‘off’ about him.
Sean sighed as he looked over the paperwork. “I had to tell him off today. A client saw his car all the way in Murrieta when it was supposed to be getting a tune up here. Seems Larry was using the car to run his own errands. We lost the customer, of course. Larry can be such an idiot sometimes.” He shook his head. “Today I had to tell Chelsea and Bart to take some leave, seeing as we aren’t too busy at the moment. Can’t afford to pay wages when I’ve mortgaged my house to make bail and I could be facing a huge legal bill.”
“I’m so sorry, Sean.”
“It’s not your fault.” He gave her a tired smile. “At least you brought your custom here.”
“Business will pick up, I’m sure. You’re one of only two auto repair shops here in Greenville. People will get sick of going all the way to La Quinta to have their cars fixed, and they’ll come back.”
“Hopefully when they do I’ll still be in business—and free, of course.”
“Hey, I saw some footage of Tony Barnet’s car crash,” Emma said. “I was at the liquor store, and Scott showed me the security recording. Looked like a pretty big smash.”
“It was. Had to replace a lot of parts.” Sean pulled a face. “That’s eight thousand dollars I’m never going to get.”
“So that’s the bill you were arguing about? I wonder why Tony didn’t want to pay? It’s not like he’s short of a dollar.” Although, if he was drawing out large sums of cash, maybe he had been.
“But that’s how he makes a dollar, by screwing every last cent from anyone he can. He came up with some excuse about the repairs not being up to scratch, but he’d had the car back for a couple of weeks already and he’d never said a thing.”
That sounded odd. Emma tapped her fingers on the counter. “Did you do the work on his SUV?”
“No, Larry did, but I checked the vehicle before Tony came to collect it, and everything was fine. He didn’t have anything to complain about.”
“Why didn’t he settle the bill when he picked up the car?”
“I had an arrangement with him because he gave us some pretty regular business. We did his cars, his girlfriend’s car, and his son’s car. I sent him an invoice at the end of the month, and he usually paid two weeks after that. A couple of times in the past I had to chase him up on a bill, but he always paid up eventually. Except for the last time. He was real nasty about it, too. Said he wasn’t going to pay because we were all bloodsucking leeches and he’d see me in hell before I got another dime out of him. Those were his exact words. Bloodsucking leeches. See me in hell.”
Emma stared at Sean. “Why would he call you a bloodsucking leech?”
Sean l
ifted his shoulders. “Why was he a jerk to everyone he met?”
A muffled sound came from just outside the office. She peered over her shoulder, but there was no one beyond the glass door. Still, she couldn’t help wondering if someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation.
Sean didn’t appear to have noticed the noise. He slid a sheet of paper over the counter to Emma. “Here’s the repair bill for your car. Comes to three hundred and ten dollars. Larry had to replace the muffler and piping. They were just about rusted through.”
Biting her lip, Emma pulled out her wallet. That was three hundred and ten dollars she really couldn’t afford at the moment. But Sean was doing it tough, too, and he had the extra burden of a murder charge hanging over his head. She handed a credit card to him, hoping it wouldn’t be declined.
The payment went through, and Sean handed her a receipt.
“How are things with you and Madison?” Emma asked as she put her wallet away.
Sean’s face lifted. “Great. She’s the only bright spot in my life right now. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
But who was the mystery man Madison had met in secret in her garden? The question nagged at Emma, especially when she saw how Sean depended on Madison.
She thought about bringing up the subject of the wedding. Time was marching on, and if they were going to cancel the wedding, then it was better to do it sooner rather than later. But when she looked at his moony expression, she didn’t have the heart to talk about a wedding cancellation. Leave that until later, she thought. Right now, the man needed something to keep him going.
***
Emma suppressed a shiver as Tony Barnet gazed down at her in triplicate. She had arrived early this morning at the photo shop to collect the printed portraits of her deceased client. The portraits were huge, and Tony’s larger-than-life smile jarred with her less-than-pleasant personal experience of him. She was glad when the store clerk wrapped them up and carried them out to her car for her. After several minutes of careful maneuvering, they managed to fit all three into the rear of her hatchback.
At Jordan’s house, she had to knock a couple of times before Jordan finally answered the door. Her black dress was as form-fittingly fashionable as ever, but her face was blotched with tears and her lipstick was smudged.
“Jordan, what’s wrong?” Emma said.
“Oh, what isn’t wrong?” She sniffed. “I had to fire the cleaner today, and it wasn’t very nice. I know she’s been stealing things from the house, but I couldn’t confront her, and, well, it all became very awkward. I wish Luisa would get better and come back to work. Things were so much easier when she was housekeeping.” She sighed, then shook back her hair. “Anyway, enough of my domestic problems. What can I do for you?”
“I brought over the photo portraits of Tony that you wanted.” Emma waved at her car nearby. “There’re all in there.”
Wiping her tears away, Jordan quickly perked up. “Oh, how fantastic. Let me help you get them inside.”
It took a couple of trips for them to haul the portraits out and carry them and their matching stands to the great room. They pulled off the wrapping paper and arranged the portraits in a semi-circle. When it was complete, Jordan stood back and clasped her hands to her breast.
“They’re wonderful. If only Tony could see them.” Her lower lip trembled before she caught herself. “They’re everything I wished for. Thank you, Emma. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Emma shifted from one foot to the other. “I just went to the photo printing store. Anyone could have done it.”
“No, not anyone. You made it happen, and I’m so grateful. This makes up for the horrible morning I’ve had.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find an honest cleaner.”
“It’s not just my domestic problems.” Jordan kneaded her temples as she frowned. “Tony’s lawyer called. Apparently Howard White is suing Tony’s estate over some failed business deal.”
Emma just managed to stop her mouth from gaping open. “I didn’t know Tony and Howard were in business together.”
“Neither did I. Apparently the deal was supposed to have happened a while ago, but Tony never mentioned it to me. He never talked about his business with me.” Jordan tiredly rubbed her temples. “From what I know, Tony never liked Howard. He was always saying what an arrogant snob he was.”
And the dislike had been mutual. What had Madison overheard her dad yelling about Tony dying? Good riddance. How much money had Howard lost over this failed business deal? The Whites had deep pockets, but no one liked losing out.
“That was one of the reasons Tony wanted to build this house,” Jordan continued. She walked up to one of the portraits and gently laid her fingers over Tony’s cheek. “He used to live over in Wineglass Bay not far from the Whites. I think he tried to be friendly, but they snubbed him, and I suppose the other neighbors took their cue from the Whites. That’s why Tony chose this bit of land. To get away from all those people.”
And not just that. Tony had chosen to build his big new house on this spot because it was directly opposite the people who had snubbed him in Wineglass Bay. This was his way of thumbing his nose at them.
“I might not have any neighbors nearby,” Jordan continued as she gazed out at the spectacular view of the lake. “But I love it here.”
“So you’re keeping the house? You won’t find it too big for just one person?”
“Oh, I couldn’t get rid of it. No, I’m staying on. I might get a couple of dogs to keep me company.”
“That’s a good idea.” Emma couldn’t forget about the thug she’d spied in the orchards opposite the house. “Some Dobermans or Alsatians, maybe.”
Jordan wrinkled her nose. “I was thinking of those cute little pugs.”
Pugs? They wouldn’t be any deterrent to a determined intruder. But she didn’t want to alarm Jordan. At least a couple of pugs would raise the alarm if someone tried to break in.
“I have a great band lined up for the funeral reception,” she said instead. “I think you’ll like the Morrisons.”
“Thank you.” Jordan walked over to Emma and hugged her. “It’s such a relief knowing I can count on you.”
Surprised and touched by the hug, Emma patted her on the back. Beneath the soft fabric, Jordan felt fragile. The past few days had taken its toll on her.
Emma went through the preparations one more time with Jordan. The church service was due to take place at Tuesday one o’clock. Tony had left instructions for his body to be cremated in private, so after the service everyone who wished to would make their way back here to the house. Emma wouldn’t be able to attend the service, as she’d be here seeing that everything was ready for the guests.
“I’m sort of dreading the funeral, but at the same time I’ll be relieved to have it done,” Jordan confessed. “Is that bad of me?”
“Not at all. When my mom passed away I felt the same. It seemed like time had stopped ticking and I couldn’t even breathe until we were able to give my mom a proper farewell.”
Jordan nodded, her eyes welling up. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
There was nothing left to do until tomorrow. Jordan walked Emma to the door. As Emma stepped out onto the porch, she spotted Mateo across the lawn bending over a garden bed, and something clicked inside her brain.
“You mentioned your former housekeeper earlier,” she said to Jordan. “You said her name is Luisa. Is she by any chance your gardener’s wife?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, didn’t I make that clear? Luisa worked here up until a couple of months ago when she had some sort of accident.”
“I heard about it. A hit and run. Luisa was thrown clear off her bicycle.”
Jordan pressed her fingers to her mouth. “Yes. So horrible. It happened a few miles from here, after the turn off to Buena Vista Road. I visited her in hospital and sent her flowers. I hope she gets better soon.”
Jordan looked so worried that Emma didn�
�t have the heart to tell her the truth about Luisa Crespo’s medical condition.
“Did she have any medical insurance?” Emma asked.
“I don’t know. Tony always handled the staff. He liked being in control, and well, he thought I was too soft on them.” She made a rueful moue. “I guess he’s right, seeing I’m having so many problems with housekeepers at the moment. Maybe Luisa will come back to work when she’s recovered.”
“Maybe,” Emma echoed, her gaze still on Mateo. The man must have heard their voices, but he didn’t look up from his task, his face set in its usual sullen folds.
As Emma drove away, she couldn’t stop thinking about Mateo. He was a gardener, and surely a lush garden like Jordan’s required slug pellets to keep the pests at bay. Mateo had been working at the housewarming party, so he could have crushed up the slug pellets and contaminated the pistachio ice cream. He had means and opportunity. And motive? Maybe he was angry with Tony Barnet for not caring about Luisa, simply dismissing her when she was too ill to work.
Emma heaved a sigh. As surly and unpleasant as Mateo was, she didn’t like thinking of him as someone who would deliberately poison a whole crowd of innocent people. If he was the culprit and the police arrested him, what would happen to his wife and son?
Chapter Twelve
Gravel crunched beneath the tires as Emma brought her car to a halt off the side of the road. As she climbed out, she wondered why she was so intrigued by Luisa Crespo’s hit and run accident. It had nothing to do with her, yet when she’d left Jordan’s house, she couldn’t help herself watching out for the turn off to Buena Vista Road and then scanning the side of the road for signs of the accident site. She’d pulled over because some swerving skid marks on the road had caught her eye.
She walked to the spot where the skid marks ran off the blacktop and examined the gravel-strewn shoulder of the road. Several bits of broken orange plastic and a couple of bent spokes off a bicycle wheel told her she’d found the right location. The police must have combed the area for clues, but it wouldn’t hurt to check for herself.
Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) Page 12