Roni pulled in front of Feldman’s office, which was located near the end of Main Street, with a rather garish Attorney flashing light above the door.
Old crone would have been a kind description of the tiny, ancient woman behind the desk Roni encountered when she walked in the office. The woman didn’t move a muscle and Roni wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or had suffered something worse.
Roni stood there for a minute, about to clear her throat or say something when the door to the inner office opened and a short, compact little man appeared. He wore a dated suit with a vest and pocket watch and motioned Roni into his office, obviously trying to avoid waking the old woman.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as they entered the office and he closed the door. “Have a seat. I’m Arnie Feldman. That’s my mother out there. I’m mostly retired at this point. I still have a few clients and Mom insists on coming in as my secretary. As you can see, keeping her awake is a struggle.”
“That’s OK,” Roni said as they settled in their chairs. “I wasn’t sure what to do. I was worried maybe she wasn’t sleeping.”
“Should we check again?” he asked and then laughed. “Just kidding. She’s fine. I humor her because I love her. From what you told me on the phone, you’re having some issues with your father.”
“Recently, my father married a woman named Marian Cirillo. Have you ever just had a bad feeling about somebody, Mr. Feldman?”
“Like a devil on your shoulder warning you?” he asked. “Yeah, I’ve got one of those, too. It’s not always a hundred percent accurate. At the same time, I’ve always been sorry when I ignored it. You have a bad feeling about Marian?”
“At first, I ignored it but it just got worse with time. My father is Marian’s sixth husband. Sikeston is my last stop. It’s my understanding you represented Walter Forbes. Is that right?”
“I heard Marian moved to Alton,” he said. “Is that where she met your Dad?”
“Yes, they met about a year ago. She moved there about two years ago. According to my information, Marian lived here a long time, right?”
“I’ll tell you what I know since privilege no longer applies,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s going to silence your devil. I think Marian moved here sometime in 1985. Her kids were just getting out of college. Marian married Walter in 1995. A year or so later Walter got sick. He died in 1997.”
“Did Walter have any children?”
“No, he didn’t really have any other relatives,” he said.
“Did Walter have life insurance?”
“Yeah, Marian got that payout, of course,” he said. “I guess when all was said and done, Marian ended up with about a million dollars.”
“Was Walter cremated?”
“Yes, he was,” Arnie said. “I guess that’s part of a pattern?”
“Well, yeah it is.”
“So, are you suggesting Marian killed all those guys?” he asked.
“I guess that’s one scenario.”
“In your scenario, how did she do it?” he asked.
“Poison would be the most likely method. None of what you’ve told me sounds particularly ominous.”
“I have to admit I wasn’t suspicious when Walter died,” he said. “I admit I never liked Marian. Walter was my friend so we socialized some. I just never really thought she cared that much for Walter. You know, what happened later might interest you, too.”
“What happened?”
“I didn’t hear much about Marian for eight or nine years,” he said. “After Walter died, Marian went through Walter’s money like it was nothing. She bought a big house and took incredible trips. Fancied herself part of big society such as it is here. Eventually, she married Ben Wright. His parents own a car dealership here in Sikeston. Ben was kind of the black sheep of the family. He was the proverbial spoiled, rich kid. Dropped out of college, smoked dope, and ended up working in the family business. He married Marian in 2006. He was killed in a car accident a few months later.”
“So that’s husband number five?”
“That’s right,” he said. “Marian had an absolute meltdown. She refused an autopsy and wanted Ben cremated right away. This is a small town. Marian had only been here 20 years so she was still considered an outsider. Ben’s parents stepped in, and it got really ugly after that. Marian hired a lawyer. A young couple Ben hit were also killed. The coroner took over and did an autopsy despite Marian and her attorney. They found drugs in Ben’s tox report. Relatives of the couple that were killed sued Marian and won a big judgment.”
“I’m guessing she didn’t get any life insurance payout either.”
“You got that right. Marian must have thought Ben had money because of his parents and the car dealership. Ben was a world-class liar with the ladies. His parents supported him and he flashed some cash around, but the reality was that he was on an allowance from his parents.”
“So Marian ended up on the short end of that relationship?”
“Without a doubt,” he said. “You know, I thought Marian wanted Ben cremated because she knew he was on drugs, but maybe she had another reason.”
“She was worried they would find poison or maybe she was scared for both reasons. They probably just did a tox screen. I don’t think they would routinely be checking for poisons. So, what happened Mr. Feldman? Was Ben cremated or is there a body we could exhume?”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Cindy and I were sitting in Lionel’s black Pilot, which was parked down the street from the King’s Wok. We were waiting for Ho to make an appearance. I had dropped Lionel off and stopped by the office to change clothes and pick up Cindy. She seemed excited about being in the hunt again.
“I got a call from Harley this morning,” Cindy said. “He’s really upset with you.”
“I’m not surprised. Payback is a bitch.”
“He wanted to know if I knew anything,” she said. “He seemed especially interested in how you did it.”
“That’s why I didn’t tell anybody about it and I’m not going to start now. How’s my aura today?”
“Looking more blue all the time,” she said. “Any news on Thomas Sloan?”
“I talked to Dave. They found his storage space. He used one of the comp aliases. What was left from the Radio Shack robbery was there. Dave thinks he probably had more identities and some cash hidden there. He had also hung up a big blowup of a picture of a middle finger, as a parting gesture, I guess. Thomas Sloan would be a target-rich environment for a shrink.”
“I think we’re all target rich-environments,” Cindy said as the black Mustang pulled in front of the restaurant and Ho jumped out.
“Ah, show time. What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to place a takeout order like the last time,” she said. “Then I’m going to ask her for a glass of water and switch glasses.”
“Sounds good. Maybe after that we can figure out who she really is. She seems to have her fingers in a lot of different pies.”
“OK, I’m going in,” she said. “Wish me luck.”
“You got it. Just take deep breaths and take your time. It doesn’t have to happen today. If Ho isn’t taking orders we can come back.”
“Thanks, Kitty,” she said. “For the chance and the encouragement.”
I nodded and smiled at Cindy as she climbed out of the vehicle. She seemed more self-confident than I had ever seen her. I was doing my best silent go Cindy cheer as I watched her walk into the restaurant.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Cindy felt wonderful and confident as she approached the carry out window. There was no hesitation or sudden escape to the bathroom needed to bolster her courage. Though struggling with her illness, she felt for the first time that maybe she could control it, instead of the other way around. She could feel the shift in Kitty’s attitude toward her, from toleration to something almost approaching friendship.
The restaurant wasn’t particularly crowded, probably due to the relatively late lunch hour. Cindy suspected the re
staurant did a much better dinner business given its midtown location. There was one customer ahead of her and Cindy was relieved when Ho appeared to take his order. He must have been ordering for a bunch of office mates because it seemed to take forever for Ho to get it all written down.
“How can I help you?” Ho asked when the other customer stepped aside and Cindy approached the counter.
“I’d like an eggroll and cashew chicken to go,” Cindy said. “I was hoping I could get a glass of water while I’m waiting?”
“Sure, why don’t you have a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.”
“Thanks,” Cindy said as she walked to a nearby table and sat down.
Cindy had checked out the type of glasses the King’s Wok used on her last visit and had found a match at a local Target store. So far so good, Cindy thought. This was the first time Cindy had been able to keep a job for more than a few months.
Inevitably, her compulsive behavior would interfere with her performance and she would be terminated. While her children were small, she quit trying but now that both daughters were in college, she needed something to fill her time. Ho’s sudden appearance with a glass of water interrupted her thoughts.
“Here’s your water,” Ho said as she put the glass on the table.
Cindy realized she must have had strange look on her face when Ho approached the table. That was the only reason she could come up with that could account for Ho’s sudden scrutiny. Every move Cindy made caught Ho’s attention as Cindy’s Humpty Dumpty wall started to crumble. A familiar rush of panic overwhelmed Cindy as she made her way to the restroom.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Somehow I had managed to fall asleep. My dream involved Harley taking a bath in a tub filled with tomato juice, cursing my name with venom. The tapping noise interrupted the next scene and woke me up. I was laughing when I looked over and saw Cindy standing on the passenger side of the Pilot. She clutched her carry out bag, and had a satisfied grin on her face. Cindy climbed in and handed me the bag.
“What were you laughing about?” Cindy asked.
“I was dreaming Harley was taking a bath in tomato juice to get rid of the skunk smell.”
“Does that work?” Cindy asked.
“I don’t really know. All my research was about getting him skunked. How did it go?”
“Mission accomplished,” she said. “A few bumps along the way. I must have given Ho a strange look when she brought my water, but I pulled it together and she lost interest. When no one was looking, I switched glasses. I wrapped it in a small towel I had in my purse.”
“Good job. Wow, this stuff smells fantastic. Ho may be a comp cheat and God knows what else, but if she owns this restaurant, she’s got a winner.”
“Are we going to follow her when she leaves here?” Cindy asked.
“Might as well. We can see if she goes back to Shaw or somewhere else. In the meantime, I’m having lunch. Do you want the egg roll?”
“No thanks,” Cindy said.
I was just opening the top of the carton when the black Mustang pulled up in front. Disappointed my lunch would be delayed, I put the carton back in the bag. The tracking device was still attached to the undercarriage of the Mustang and pinging, affording us the luxury of following from several blocks away and out of the driver’s sight. It became obvious we were headed for the Shaw Avenue house when we exited the highway.
“They’re headed for the same place,” Cindy said.
“Yeah, let’s park down the street and watch for a while. See if the same kind of thing is going down.”
I made a right turn on a side street one block over from Shaw Avenue and almost hit a large black SUV that was blocking my path. No sooner had I stopped and another black SUV pulled up behind, blocking any escape. Before I could react, armed men in black clothing carrying menacing looking weapons rushed to both sides if the Pilot.
“This doesn’t look good,” Cindy said.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Arnie Feldman seemed to consider Roni’s question for a long time before he answered. It didn’t help matters when his mother shuffled in to ask if his appointment had been canceled. She seemed surprised to see Roni sitting there as if she had magically appeared. Arnie escorted his mom out to the front desk and returned.
“Wow, time to start checking out the homes,” he said. “You know, I know there was fight over Ben’s ashes but I can’t remember the details. Marian had become a pariah, you see. Most people knew the Wrights and took their side. Why don’t I call them and see if they’ll talk to you?”
“That would be great,” Roni said.
Fifteen minutes later, Ben Wright’s parents, Alan and Monica, were sitting next to Roni in Arnie’s office. Arnie’s mother was fully awake and totally engaged now that there was gossip involved. She had tried to stay in the room after the Wrights arrived but Arnie shooed her out. Roni was certain the old woman was probably listening in somehow.
“Thank you for coming Mr. and Mrs. Wright,” Roni said.
“Alan and Monica, please,” Monica said. “Arnie said your dad is married to Marian, is that right?”
“Yes, they’ve been married a couple of months,” Roni said.
“Let me guess,” Monica said. “She’s started doing some things that made you suspicious so you decided to check her out.”
“Yeah, it’s exactly like that,” Roni said, laughing.
“Now Monica,” Alan Wright said.
“Don’t you Monica me Alan,” she said. “If I had acted on my suspicions five years ago Ben might still be alive. I know I’m biased but Marian is a gold digger.”
“Ben wasn’t perfect, either,” Alan said.
“That’s true,” Monica said. “We’ve had a lot of time to think about our parenting mistakes. We had two sons, Mark and Ben. Mark is a doctor and lives in St. Louis. Ben was the baby and we spoiled him terribly. He got into drugs and alcohol in high school. The truth is, Ben was an addict with all the bad behaviors that go with that.”
“I think he met his match with Marian,” Alan said. “At least that’s what I think now. We didn’t even meet Marian until after they were married. Ben was an accomplished liar. I think he thought Marian had a lot of money. He worked at our dealership but didn’t make a lot of money. We couldn’t trust him with money because it all went for drugs.”
“It was the only job he could do,” Monica said. “He’d been fired from every other job he ever had. He told Marian he was part owner of the dealership. I guess Marian thought he was wealthy.”
“Maybe they were meant for each other,” Alan said. “They started fighting over money and Ben kept coming to us for cash.”
“Been there, done that,” Monica said. “Ben got sick and Marian came to us for help. We paid for his medical bills but that was it. They were fighting and Ben kept going downhill. When we got the call about the accident we weren’t really surprised. We knew it wasn’t going to end well.”
“We should have tried an intervention,” Alan said. “We should have sent Ben to an out-of-state rehab place away from us and away from Marian.”
“I know what you’re going to say,” Monica said. “Hindsight’s great and all of that. You know, we never investigated Marian. We felt so guilty and were just devastated. By the end, I think we were just exhausted. What have you found out about her?”
“My father is her sixth husband,” Roni said. “Only one of the other five is still alive. The others all died and were cremated.”
“Oh my,” Monica said. “Do you think Marian killed them and then had them cremated?”
“I can’t prove that,” Roni said. “It’s really just speculation.”
“That’s part of the reason I called you,” Arnie said. “I remember there was a fight about cremating Ben.”
“Yeah there was,” Alan said. “Marian wanted Ben cremated right away but the coroner stepped in and wanted an autopsy. We thought Marian wanted to hide the fact Ben was drunk and high. You think she was
trying to hide something else?”
“Well, again, it’s just speculation,” Roni said. “So after the autopsy, was Ben cremated?”
“We wanted to bury Ben,” Monica said. “We hired a lawyer but Marian prevailed.”
“That’s a shame,” Roni said.
“Would they be able to determine anything from the ashes?” Alan asked.
“I don’t know,” Roni asked. “Why?”
“We never turned Ben’s ashes over to Marian like we were supposed to,” Monica said. “She kept calling and demanding that we give them to her.”
“I think she wanted to go back to the judge,” Alan said. “By that time she was probably running out of money. Would Ben’s ashes help?”
“I know just the person to ask,” Roni said. “Would you be willing to release Ben’s ashes?”
“In a New York minute,” Monica said. “Imagine that. When all is said and done, Ben nails Marian. Kind of makes you believe in God and karma.”
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Our kidnapping had taken place in less than a minute in broad daylight on a secluded street. I had been pulled from the driver’s seat and placed between two armed men in the back seat of a black SUV. Cindy had been grabbed and placed in the same position in the twin vehicle. One of the men had jumped in the Pilot and was heading up the rear of our little convoy.
My one attempt at a question had been met with a profanity-laced admonishment intended to discourage further conversation. It actually worked fairly well since I was too terrified to try again. I kept imagining a dark room with harsh lights and one of David Tran’s goons beating us into submission.
Of course, I would tell them absolutely anything they wanted to know without the beating. In fact, I would blurt it all out before they asked the first question. I would even admit for the first time, that yes, I was the one who put the dead rat under Schulte’s bed in college. I can truthfully say I had never been more scared in my entire life.
We were headed for the heart of downtown St. Louis and I considered screaming or trying to jump over one of the goons, but when I looked at them that thought quickly dissolved. I wondered about Cindy and what her aura reads were on this bunch. It seemed like I could smell my own fear so I prayed for survival and for not peeing my pants, which of course would only add to the stench.
Worse Than Being Alone Page 21