by Logan May
Lukas found Charmaine, the household maid who doubled as a cook, in the kitchen. This wasn’t the Ritz and Lukas didn’t look for pristine health and safety conditions or disposable gloves. Still, Charmaine fell short of the mark. Maybe Theresa’s sandwich-making skills weren’t entirely responsible for her last husband’s demise.
Charmaine was laboring over a large pot, stirring it with a spoon and glaring at the contents as if they refused to be cooked. Sweat dripped off her forehead into the stew. As Lukas watched she dragged a forearm across her nose, wiped it on her apron, and swapped hands on the ladle.
‘What can you tell me about the family?’ Lukas asked, sneaking a look at the concoction in the pot. It was an alarming grey colour.
‘Which one?’ Charmaine sniffed.
‘Okay, how about Ted?’ Lukas was figuring that Ted was the most likely to think about some fiscal insurance. Although Agatha apparently needed him as a living, breathing sex toy, Ted was the furthest removed from inheriting anything out of Edward’s estate and if he was ever thrown onto the street, Ted would be cut off and penniless.
Charmaine said, ‘In the morning he likes his eggs easy-over, bacon cooked to a crisp and after that, tomato sauce smothered on everything, the ungrateful arsehole. I dunno why I bother,’ she gestured angrily at the pot.
Being heavy-handed on the sauce sounded like a good strategy to Lukas judging from what he’d seen of Charmaine’s culinary skills so far. Again, this wasn’t the kind of insight into the Rewolds he was chasing.
‘I was more interested in other stuff,’ Lukas said.
‘Like what?’
Lukas encouraged her with a friendly shrug. ‘Anything really.’
‘Job always wants the crusts cut off his toast.’
‘Uh-huh, that’s interesting, but what about—you know, other stuff?’
Charmaine absently fished something out of her nose while she thought. ‘Corrine’s on a diet. She’s always on some damned diet and wants me to cook weird shit. Decent food never did anyone any harm, if you ask me, but Corrine wants power foods and steamed vegetables all the bloody time. She’s terrified of turning into her mother, I suppose.’
That’s worth being terrified of, Lukas thought.
Charmaine pointed at Lukas with the spoon and flicked a spray of soup across the kitchen. ‘My mother always said, if you don’t boil things properly, then Christ knows what else you’re eating, right? Fresh vegetables, my arse. Fresh worms and germs, if you don’t boil ‘em properly. My mum lived till she was eighty, too. There’s your proof.’
‘What about your father?’
‘Dropped dead at fifty—no one saw it coming. Hey, pass me that pack of salt, will you? Chicken tastes like bloody plastic these days. It must be all that animal-friendly farming bullshit.’
‘It’s chicken?’ Lukas asked in disbelief.
She stared at him.
Dwayne the house manager struck Lukas as a man who knew how to feather his own nest, if an employer didn’t keep a close eye on him. Dressed in a cheap suit and shiny shoes, Dwayne regarded Lukas warily as he waved him to a seat in a cramped office.
‘I’m very busy with Mr Rewold’s affairs, of course,’ he told Lukas. ‘Funeral arrangements for such a respected gentleman are complicated.’
‘You’re arranging the funeral? I would have expected Agatha to do that.’
‘Well, I’m not doing everything and she’s looking after the catering, of course,’ Dwayne smiled thinly. ‘No small task on its own.’
‘I’m starting to get that. Tell me, do you think you’ll still be working here in the future? Now that Edward has passed away?’
‘I doubt any of the family will want to bother themselves with all the mundane tasks required to run a household like this.’ Now Dwayne smiled confidently. ‘I believe that my position is secure.’
‘What exactly is your position?’
‘I’m the house manager. I also handle security and supervise the other staff,’
‘Right, but what do you do?’ Lukas tried to sound curious.
‘Well, I manage things, obviously.’
‘Like what?’
The smile slipped. ‘Lots of things, Mr Boston.’
‘Okay, but give me an example.’
Dwayne looked around the office. ‘As I said, I’m very busy at the moment. Can you come to the point?’
‘Did you have the wall safe combination? Is that something you managed?’
‘I can see where you’re going with this, Mr Boston. No, no one else knew the lock combination. At least, not to my knowledge.’
‘Do you like working here, Dwayne?’
Without changing his expression Dwayne said, ‘It’s a fucking zoo, what do you think?’
Minutes later, as Lukas walked towards the front door to let himself out, someone called out from the sweeping stairway.
‘How’s your investigation going, Lukas?’
He turned to see Corrine draped over the balustrade half-way towards the landing. She was wearing a lace dress that was so sheer it left little to Lukas’ imagination what she had underneath it—not much at all.
‘I’m still gathering data,’ Lukas said. ‘I’ve been interviewing your staff.’
‘Really? I’ve discovered something very important. Would you like to know what it is or will your private investigator’s pride prefer you figure it out for yourself?’
‘No, I’ll take anything you’ve got.’
She smiled slowly. ‘You took the words right out of my mouth.’
Lukas swallowed, hoping she couldn’t see it. ‘So what have you found out?’
‘Oh, I can’t tell you. It’s something I need to show you.’
‘I had a feeling you were going to say that.’
‘Then you won’t mind following me upstairs, will you?’
‘I suppose not.’
Lukas climbed the stairs behind her, using the opportunity to watch Corrine’s arse move appealingly beneath the thin material. At the top they went down a small hallway and through a door into Corrine’s bedroom.
A large four-poster bed dominated the room. Clothes were scattered across the floor. Lots of it was underwear, clashing with Lukas’ earlier theory about how Corrine and Theresa survived on a tight budget. He tried not to look at it.
Lukas said, his voice rough, ‘I had a feeling you were going to bring me here, too.’
‘Your feelings are quite perceptive, aren’t they?’ Corrine was enjoying watching Lukas squirm. She pushed herself back against the door, closing it.
‘It’s a private detective thing,’ he gave her a small shrug. ‘Like a second sight. Hey, did you just lock that?’
‘It’s better to be safe than sorry. We don’t want to be disturbed. Do you want to see what I’ve got for you?’
There’s not a lot I can’t see already. ‘What sort of thing?’
‘Evidence, Lukas. Some clues I’ve found about the robbery.’
‘Oh, right… them. Yes, of course.’
Corrine turned around and bent over to use an open laptop on a dressing table. ‘Come and look at this,’ she said.
Lukas was more than happy with the view from where he stood. Still, he went closer. ‘What are we looking at?’
‘My aunt’s banking records. Don’t let on that I’ve got them will you?’
‘How did you get them?’
‘Now, that would be telling. Although if you tied me up and tortured me, I might tell you everything I know.’
‘I’m not very good with knots,’ Lukas said shakily, focusing on the screen. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see manacles and chains on the bed posts.
Corrine put her lips to his ear. ‘It’s okay, I can teach you the ropes.’
‘So… um, Theresa hasn’t got much money, has she?’
‘She’s desperately broke, it looks like. Don’t you think?’
‘It seems that way, unless she has other bank accounts somewhere. That doesn’t mean she can br
eak into your father’s safe and steal money.’
She looked disappointed and pouted. ‘You don’t think this means anything? I was so excited about showing you. Aren’t you excited?’ Corrine pressed herself against him again.
Lukas’ heart was starting to race, he was beginning to sweat and felt a bit weak at the knees. ‘No, I try to stay calm and not jump to any conclusions. I have to analyse the evidence and come to the correct conclusion.’
‘Goodness, do you want to analyse me? What must I do to convince you that I have nothing to do with stealing my father’s cash?’
‘You don’t have to do anything. As a detective it’s up to me whether or not—’
‘Oh, I know. A strip search!’
‘A what?’
‘I’ll agree to a strip search. Then you can be absolutely certain I’m not hiding anything.’
Lukas tugged at his ear, thinking of the best response. ‘Not entirely necessary, if you want me to be honest.’
‘But it would help?’
‘Well, it definitely couldn’t do any harm, I suppose. At the same time, I should point out that—’
‘I really don’t mind. In fact, I insist.’ A second later the lace dress was crumpled around her feet. She wore only the smallest pair of panties and nothing else. ‘Where do you want to look first?’
Lukas opened his mouth, nothing came out, so he took a deep breath. Then he said, ‘I’m trying to remember how to do this properly. The correct procedures to follow, that kind of thing.’
Corrine came close and plucked at his shirt. ‘It seems a bit unfair that I’m almost completely naked and you’re wearing all these clothes. Don’t you agree?’
‘Right, I see what you mean. Would it make you feel more comfortable, if I took some clothes off too?’
‘I’d really appreciate it, Lukas.’
‘Okay, I’ll take my jacket off.’
Corrine’s eyes went wide at the sight of Lukas’ holstered Glock. ‘What’s that?’
‘It’s my Glock. Don’t worry, I have a license.’
‘I’m not worried, Lukas. Every girl dreams of meeting a man with a nice, big Glock.’
‘It’s—it’s just a standard size actually.’
‘How disappointing.’
‘The gun, I mean.’
‘Hmm… you know, I still feel at a disadvantage, Lukas.’
‘Shall I take my shoes off?’
‘That might help.’
In world record time Lukas had stripped down to his boxers.
‘Does this help?’ he asked. ‘I figured that we seemed to be working towards it.’
‘It’s saved a lot of further negotiations, but we’re both still wearing a lot of clothes.’
‘I know what you mean.’
They remedied that.
‘Shall we use the bed for the strip search?’ she asked.
‘Seems a waste not to, since it’s right there,’ Lukas nodded jerkily.
A minute later Lukas was utterly absorbed in a thorough grid search of every part of Corrine’s body, examining her for clues, when a voice came from somewhere in the room.
‘I always record everything, just in case.’
‘Jesus Christ,’ Lukas bellowed in fright, bolting upright on the bed and sending the sheets flying.
‘Lukas, what’s wrong?’
He twisted around to see Edward Rewold’s ghost standing at the end of the room and watching them. Rewold’s face was impassive. If he could see his granddaughter playing Nude Twister it didn’t appear to upset him.
‘Do you mind?’ Lukas snarled at the spirit.
‘I always record everything, just in case,’ the ghost repeated.
‘Well, if you’re recording this, I want a full copy. Now piss off, will you?’
Rewold obliged, disappearing without comment. Lukas heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Who are you talking to?’ Corrine demanded, scrabbling to cover herself. ‘Who’s recording anything?’
Lukas said unconvincingly, trying to smile, ‘It’s okay, don’t worry.’
‘Are you wearing a wire? Are we being bugged?’ Corrine looked furious and suspicious at the same time.
‘Come on, where the hell might that be?’ Lukas said, stabbing a finger at his own nakedness.
‘How should I know? You’re the bloody private investigator.’
‘Please calm down, I’m not wearing a microphone, believe me.’
‘Then who are you talking to?’
Lukas stared at her helplessly for a moment. ‘My—my muse,’ he said finally.
‘Your what?’
‘My muse—you know, my inner voice that… comes up with crazy thoughts at the strangest times,’ he said, thinking on the fly. It sounded worthwhile running with this one. ‘I get ideas all the time no matter what I’m doing and I just had a good one.’
‘Really? I would have thought you’d be too damned distracted to be thinking about much else.’
‘I agree, it’s very unusual, given the circumstances,’ he gestured at Corrine. ‘I mean, you’ve got a fantastic, gorgeous body. You’re very beautiful.’
She gave him a scathing look at the attempt, but it worked… a little. ‘You’re full of shit.’
‘I don’t suppose we can start again?’
‘I don’t know yet. I’m not sure I can trust you. What was the big idea you had?’
This was the last thing Lukas wanted to tell her. A light bulb had just flared in his head, switched on by Rewold’s ghostly words. It had a lot to do with trust.
‘Close your eyes and I’ll show you.’
‘Yeah right, as if I’m going to fall for that one.’
‘Seriously, shut your eyes and I’ll show you.’
With an annoyed sigh Corrine screwed her eyes closed. ‘This better be good.’ After a minute she grumbled good-naturedly, ‘That’s not the idea you had, I’m sure.’
‘No, it’s better one.’
‘Maybe, let’s see—hey!’
‘Sorry, just checking for clues.’
‘Shouldn’t you read me my rights, before going anywhere near there?’
It took some time until Corrine forgot about asking Lukas again. Lukas congratulated himself on a job well done. It wasn’t easy having sex when you were pretty sure there was an unseen, ghostly audience lurking in the room somewhere.
Later, while Lukas was getting dressed, Corrine lay drowsily on the bed watching him. She said, ‘Do you think I’m guilty now?’
‘You’re sure as hell not innocent.’
‘What are you going to do?’
‘I want another look in your father’s office. You stay here, I won’t take long. Then I’ve got to go.’
‘Lukas, if you find the money somewhere, do you think it’s completely necessary to find all of it?’
He paused in the middle of buckling his belt. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said, although it wasn’t hard to guess.
‘I’m just saying that if no one really knows how much money was stolen, then nobody knows how much you’re going to put back, if you find it, right?’ Corrine’s sleepy voice belied how carefully she was choosing her words.
‘I suppose so.’
‘There could be quite a bonus for you, Lukas. If you give me the money first, before anyone else. We can put it back in the safe together.’
‘You mean, less a finder’s fee for both of us?’
‘Oh, something like that. Just keep me in mind, that’s all I ask. I expect you’ll find me hard to forget now, right?’
Lukas had to agree with that.
Corrine groaned luxuriously and rolled into a ball, apparently falling instantly asleep.
He tip-toed out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Around him the house was silent. Lukas hoped the office was empty.
The idea was about a forgotten moment during the first meeting that Lukas had with Edward Rewold—forgotten until Rewold’s spirit appeared with unfortunate timing to remind him.
Rew
old had produced a small, hand-held digital recorder and placed it deliberately on the desk between them. He said, ‘I trust you enough to let you know I’m doing this, however I don’t trust you enough not to do it. I’m letting you know that I always record everything, just in case. Have you any objection, Mr Boston?’
‘No, none at all,’ Lukas had replied. As a policeman, Lukas was used to taping interviews and meetings. Once the recording button was pressed it was second nature not to say anything incriminating—things you didn’t want to hear played back against you in a criminal court sometime.
Where was that recorder now?
Lukas was experiencing a familiar, tingling feeling that told him something important had come to light—he’d discovered a vital piece of information. Okay, it had taken a nudge from Rewold himself as Lukas had been searching for more forensic-type evidence on Corrine. But since no one else could see or hear the ghost, Lukas was willing to take the credit.
Downstairs, Lukas slipped through the house and into Rewold’s office. Closing the door, he said aloud, ‘All right, so where is it?’
Nobody answered.
‘Come on, Eddy. Open a drawer, rattle a doorknob or something. Give me a bloody clue.’
Nothing happened.
‘Useless old bastard,’ Lukas muttered. It was too much to expect it could have been that easy. He began searching through the desk and cupboards, trying not to make a lot of noise or disturb anything more than necessary.
Following ten minutes of fruitless searching Lukas gave up, accepting it wouldn’t be anywhere obvious. Then he looked towards the open wall safe.
Of course, it was in the damned safe.
The answers came to Lukas in a rush. Edward Rewold didn’t give a toss about the money. Whoever had stolen it had taken the recorder as well and that’s what Rewold wanted Lukas to recover. It was probably also why he didn’t want to involve the police. Why hadn’t Rewold explained this? Because the old man believed the burglar wouldn’t consider the recorder had any value unless a fuss was made about it. The machine was collateral damage, scooped up with everything else and ignored afterwards. If Rewold began demanding the recorder be returned rather than the money, the thief might realise he or she had something potentially much more valuable than cash.