“Just fine. She had a lot to say about the investigation.”
“You told her you were investigating?” Lemonade sloshed onto my jeans. I grabbed a paper towel from the supply I kept under the table. Between the students’ rumors on campus and Ina’s big mouth, the whole world would know I was interested in Tess’s murder before the day was over.
“No, I told her you were investigating, and I was helping out.”
More lemonade splashed.
“When she goes on break at one o’clock, I’m having lunch with her to talk about the case.”
I gulped the lemonade to avoid saying anything I’d regret later. My cell phone rang . . . well, it croaked. I’d found this great frog ringtone online.
Ina looked at me curiously. “There’s a frog in your purse.”
“It’s my phone.” I pulled the flip phone out of my shoulder bag and looked at the caller ID. It was a Martin College number but not from the library. “Hello?”
“Is this India Hayes?” a prim female voice asked over the line.
“Yes.”
“This is Deena Beaton in Provost Lepcheck’s office. The provost would like to have a meeting with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes,” she replied coolly.
“How did you get this number?”
She sniffed as if offended. “Your colleague from the library, Robert McNally, was gracious enough to share it with me. He said you wouldn’t mind under the circumstances.”
I’ll bet he did.
“Why does Dr. Lepcheck want to meet with me?” I tried to soften my tone. It was never a good idea to irritate the provost’s administrative assistant since she was the one who mailed the faculty contracts in the spring. There was always a chance she might misplace mine.
“Well, umm, he didn’t say exactly.” She sounded disappointed with herself for not knowing.
“I’m working at the Founders’ Festival today. Could I meet with him another time?”
“Ah, yes, I remember now that Dr. Lepcheck granted you release time for that,” she said as if she disapproved of the decision, which she probably did. “Nevertheless, he needs to meet with you right away. It’s important.”
I glanced at Ina. I might as well take full advantage of the situation she’d placed me in. I covered the mouthpiece with my hand. “Can you watch the booth for a couple of hours? I have a meeting with Lepcheck.”
Ina nodded eagerly.
“I’ll come to the office within ten minutes,” I told Deena.
Deena cleared her throat. “The provost is not on campus today. He’d like you meet with him at his home.”
“His home?” I asked dumbly.
“Yes,” she said and rattled off the address and directions.
Chapter Fifteen
Lepcheck’s home was in one of the newer developments in Stripling, a clustering of McMansions on postage-stamp lawns, which set my parents’ teeth on edge. The house was a large affair covered with Palladian windows and dominating the end of a cul-de-sac at the edge of the neighborhood. Construction people in bright orange hardhats broke ground just beyond Lepcheck’s home to plant more houses.
I rang the doorbell. It sounded a melodic chime deep in the house. The door was wide and arched, reminiscent of the entry to a medieval castle. Zach sat obediently at my side as we waited for the door to be answered. I’d thought about leaving him behind at the festival with Ina, but then I feared I’d return to a labradoodle covered in paint.
If I’d expected a butler—and part of me had—I was sadly mistaken because Lepcheck opened the door. “Thank you for coming. Won’t you . . .” He stopped abruptly when he saw Zach at my side. “What is that animal doing here?”
I had never heard the use of the word animal as profanity, but Lepcheck certainly made the word sound that way in the tone he used. Zach, blissfully unaware, woofed a greeting.
“I’m looking after Zach for Lewis Clive, Victor’s lawyer.”
Lepcheck sniffed. “I’m well aware of who Lewis Clive is. Why did he give you, of all people, custody of this animal?”
There went the profane use of animal again. Seriously, Lepcheck was changing my understanding of the word. I thought for a moment before answering. Wasn’t Lepcheck fighting with his one surviving sister over Zach? Didn’t he want the dog in order to access the pooch’s wealth? You’d think he be friendlier to Zach in that case.
“Lew’s wife is afraid of dogs, and I offered to help by taking Zach until he can find a good kennel. I have a note from him, if you would like to see it?”
He sniffed a second time. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Then, can we come in? You did ask me to come here, not the other way around.”
“You may come in, but Zacchaeus may not. I have many valuable antiques. He will break them.”
What’s going to stop Zach from breaking your antiques when he lives with you? I wondered. Because didn’t the dog have to live with Lepcheck for him to get his hands on the trust money? Debra had to be better than her insufferable brother. I hoped Debra liked dogs.
I glanced around the front yard. It was a small patch of lush green grass with the otherworldly green glow of a recent lawn service treatment visit. Sure enough, when I looked farther down the lawn, I saw one of those little white flags from the lawn company sticking out of the yard proclaiming, “We just sprayed poison here.” They probably used different wording.
“Either you let both of us in, or I’m leaving. Your lawn was recently sprayed with pesticides. If Zach is left out here, he could get sick.”
Lepcheck’s eyes narrowed, and for a moment I wondered if that’s exactly what he wanted to happen. Had he somehow known I had Zach with me and had the lawn sprayed, all the while plotting to make the dog ill and/or possibly dead? But that was impossible. There was no way Lepcheck could know I had Zach with me. I gave myself a mental head slap.
“Very well, but if that dog breaks one thing in this house, I’m holding you responsible.”
I shrugged. “He can afford it.”
Lepcheck pursed his lips but opened the mammoth door wide enough for Zach and me to enter.
I blinked. The inside of Lepcheck’s house was almost blindingly white. The entry was highly polished white tile. I could see my reflection in it, and the walls were high-gloss white as well. The only interruption in the monochromatic decor was an occasional piece of Greek art: clay pottery painted with black figures and bronze sculptures greened with oxidation. Zach’s toenails made a soft click on the white tile, but he seemed to sense the quietness of the place and was on his best behavior. I ruffled the fur on the top of his head.
I couldn’t help but compliment Lepcheck. “This is amazing.”
“Thank you,” Lepcheck said with obvious pride. “I have been collecting antiquities for years. You may have seen some of the Roman collection in my office.”
I nodded although I hadn’t been in Lepcheck’s office since my job interview and hoped to keep it that way.
“My true passion is Grecian art. I especially love the Hellenistic period.” He started down the hall. “This way. Remember to keep that dog under control. I don’t want a single pedestal grazed.”
I was too mesmerized by the pottery and sculpture to reply. Lepcheck said he’d been collecting antiques for years. Did that mean these pieces were real? The last time I had seen this much Grecian art in one place, I’d been in a museum in Athens. Apparently by being a librarian, I’d chosen a less-profitable area of higher education.
Zach’s furry snout was on my heels.
The library was on the right side of the bright hallway and was another tribute to Greco-Roman culture. I peered at the Etruscan sword under glass.
“Please sit,” Lepcheck said and pointed to a leather armchair. He sat in an identical armchair across from me.
Zach put his head on my knee and looked up adoringly. I could get used to his adoration, until I remembered my half-eaten flip-flops at home.
I looked at Lepcheck closely, hoping to see some indication of grief, such as red-rimmed eyes, balled up tissues, or nervous gestures. I saw nothing. Lepcheck was cool and collected. It was like any other meeting I’d had the displeasure of experiencing with him. He was as cool as ice—in control, and he wanted me to know it.
He cleared his throat. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, Ms. Hayes, but I wanted to speak with you about the small misunderstanding you witnessed between my sister and me on Thursday. You can see, due to the sensitivity of this topic, why I would not want discuss this in my office.”
I nodded, still confused by the fact he felt he needed to explain himself to me at all. Not that I was complaining. This meeting certainly gave me an excuse to interview Lepcheck, who was a prime suspect.
I knew Lepcheck was married. I’d met his wife at different functions at the college. She was a professor of history, if I remembered correctly, at a rival college in Cleveland. However, from what I’d seen of their house there was no hint of a woman’s touch. It was hard for me to imagine a woman living in this space, but perhaps Mrs. Lepcheck was as austere as her husband.
As if he could read my mind, Lepcheck said, “My wife’s teaching a semester in England. Sadly, she won’t be back for the funeral.” He crossed his legs and wrapped his hands around his knee. “She was very sorry she couldn’t make it.” By his tone, I wondered if that was true.
“I’m sorry for your loss. Although I’d just met Tess, I liked her very much.”
Lepcheck stood abruptly. “Of course, you would.” He walked to the window and stood by it. “My sister and I had little in common. We’d had our misunderstandings, but I didn’t want her to die. You may hear differently, which is why I wanted to talk to you.”
“To me?”
“I know my nephew thinks a lot of you. He has spoken of you often when I’ve seen him.”
“He has?” I cringed. I hoped that Derek didn’t tell Lepcheck I was his special friend. How horrifying.
“He was fascinated with that business last summer.”
I knew he was talking about the death of my childhood friend on campus and my part in finding her attacker.
“So putting those two clues together, it would not be a stretch for me to conclude Derek may come to you and request your assistance in finding his mother’s killer. To, how do you say, snoop.”
I didn’t confirm or deny his assumption.
“I take by your silence he’s already approached you.” He returned to his chair and sat.
“Who would say you wanted Tess dead?”
“Her husband for one. Possibly my other sister, Debra.”
“Does this have anything to do with your uncle Victor’s estate?”
Lepcheck looked at Zach, who had fallen asleep at my feet. His forepaws twitched, and I wondered if he dreamt of chasing a cat. Preferably not Templeton or it would be another long night. “If you have the dog with you, you must know of his ridiculous will. To leave everything to a dog, and, what’s worse, entrust that dog to Tess of all people.”
“Who should he have left Zach to?”
“Oh, I don’t care who he left the dog to. He shouldn’t have put all his money in a trust to him.”
I scowled.
“I’m not an animal hater, Ms. Hayes. My uncle had enough money to make Zacchaeus very comfortable as well as the rest of the family.”
“Why did you think Tess shouldn’t be trusted with the dog?”
“You met my sister. She spent her weekends hopping from art fair to art fair with her arty friends. They’re a flighty bunch. She was flighty. I’m not saying my sister wasn’t talented at her trade. She just wasn’t someone you put a lot of responsibility on. She meant well but couldn’t handle the responsibility that came with the trust.”
I was surprised at how candid Lepcheck was being. I decided to press my luck with another question. “Why would Jerry think you killed her?”
He steepled his fingers. “We’ve had some heated discussions over the last few months about the trust. I felt that even though she was the one in charge of the trust, she’d be reasonable. Share the money within the family. She wouldn’t. She said once the dog received his care, she’d donate a large portion the money to that co-op she was a member of. She thought Uncle Victor would approve because he’d helped start it. She could donate some of the money there of course, and it would still be more money than they could ever imagine. But they certainly did not need all of it.”
“Was that New Day Artists Cooperative?” I asked.
“Yes. And then, she planned to give another large portion to an animal shelter,” he almost spat out. “She said Uncle Vic would have liked that, too, because of Zacchaeus.”
Yes, clearly not an animal hater, I thought.
“What’s the name of the shelter?”
“Hands and Paws. It’s in Uniontown.”
I knew of it. My parents, as local champions of the underdog—in this case literally—had attended a fundraiser there in August.
“And your sister Debra—why would she think you’d hurt Tess?”
“Same reason. Debra knows how I feel about the will and that I planned to contest it. She was joining me on that front. She was the one who nursed Uncle Vic through his last illness, but he left her nothing.”
Debra had just moved up my list of people I needed to talk to.
“Are you going to go through with it?” Lepcheck asked.
His words shook me from my thoughts. “Go through with what?”
“Playing at gumshoe.”
“You’re the one who invited me here, Provost, not the other way around.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He stood. “My family is like any other. We have our problems. I trust you won’t spread anything you dig up around campus. That would be detrimental to both of our careers.”
I rose too and woke Zach in the process. He opened his eyes and woofed gently as if to ask permission to leave. Permission granted. I had no desire to stay in Lepcheck’s presence inside his cold house one second longer.
“I’ll show you out,” Lepcheck said.
As I was loading Zach into the car, my cell phone croaked. It was Ina. “You got to get back here. Now.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
She disconnected. Ina didn’t have a cell phone, and I called the number she used from my cell, but it rang and rang without response, not even voicemail.
Chapter Sixteen
When I got back to the booth, I half expected to find Ina hovering over another dead body. Instead I found Ina, Mutt, and Derek standing around my booth. They made a strange trio. Derek and Mutt’s backs were to me, but Ina, who faced me, did a little finger wave from across the field.
I suspected the other crafters found the trio a little odd as well. Jendy and Beth watched them from the beaders’ booth. All the while their deft fingers sorted colorful beads. I noted Celeste was away from the booth. A few booths away, Lynette scowled at me before showing an elderly couple a raccoon tea cozy, or maybe it was a moose tea cozy. It was hard to tell. I wondered what the scowl was for. I thought she and Ina were friends, but apparently Lynette’s friendship didn’t extend to me.
Zach pulled on his leash, and I let it go. He ran ahead with a woof, directly to Derek. Zach leaned on Derek’s leg and whined softly.
Slightly out of breath, I asked, “What’s going on?”
Derek and Mutt turned around. Mutt looked as churlish as ever, but Derek looked like he’d gone three rounds with a champion boxer. Both of his eyes were black, but the left was worse than the right with a cut in the eyebrow. He had a fat lip and his nose was bleeding. Derek patted Zach’s curly head. The dog looked concernedly up into Derek’s bruised face.
“For goodness sake, someone give Derek a tissue,” I said.
Ina rifled through her industrial-sized purse and produced a crumpled tissue. “It’s clean,” she said. “Probably.”
I tried not to think about th
e condition of the tissue as Derek pressed it to his nose.
“What happened?” I demanded.
Mutt adjusted his belt. “Your buddy started a brawl in his dorm. I got a call to run over there and break it up, and you know how much I like to run.”
I looked at Derek. “Why?”
“Why don’t I like to run?” Mutt asked.
“No.” I directed my question to Derek. “Why’d you start a fight?”
Derek’s eyes flicked at me before he returned his gaze to the ground. His right eye was beginning to swell. If he didn’t put some ice on the bruise, his eye would be swollen shut within the hour. When he didn’t answer, I looked to Mutt.
“I can’t say I blame the kid. Apparently, he overhead some riffraff in his hall making fun of his mother’s murder, and he snapped. You should see the guy Derek decked. I hope his parents have dental insurance to cap his teeth,” Mutt said.
“You punched someone’s teeth out?” Ina said, her voice full of respect.
I hoped she wouldn’t consult Derek for street-fighting pointers.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Why’d you bring him here to me?”
Mutt shrugged. “I had to get him out of the dorm. Those knuckleheads were set on pulverizing him, and I knew you were around. I really don’t have time to babysit. I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
Mutt’s radio crackled. “Chief? Chief? You there?”
“Ten-four. I’m here.”
“Hey, chief, one of these punks threw a chair through the window.” The kid security guard’s voice squeaked. There was the faintest sound of yelling in the background.
Mutt patted his breast pocket. Despite the fact it was late October, he wore a short-sleeve black T-shirt with Martin Security printed across his chest, and he was sweating. I knew he searched his pocket, hoping to find the candy bar he usually kept there. When he came up empty, he sighed. “I hope I don’t have to throw anyone out of the window today. I’m really not in the mood.”
I blinked. “That rumor is true? You really did throw a frat boy out of a window?”
Mutt smiled. “I’ll leave Derek in your capable hands. It would be best if he didn’t come back to the dorm for the rest of the weekend. He should let those dunderheads cool down a bit.”
Murder in a Basket (An India Hayes Mystery) Page 9