“I find it extra odd that the caller didn’t see fit to threaten me until after I left the library.”
Vogelman clicked her pen three times. “What you got is more a warning than a threat, but I agree the timing is interesting. Are you certain the caller was a man?”
“The voice was part garbled and part mechanical sounding, so no, I’m not certain. What I am sure of was the menace in the voice.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Eric escorted me home, although I drove because he’d sprinted to the station when he got Vogelman’s call. How he ran in boots, I didn’t know. I could barely trot in tennis shoes. I just didn’t have a runner’s build.
That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
The crime scene techs were gone, of course, but I could see the black fingerprint powder against the light gray alley door. The door and jamb weren’t coated in dust, but it was enough to be noticeable, even in the ambient light.
“I need to clean off the door before the Six see it.”
“Let’s take Amber and T.C. around the block, and then I’ll help you.”
Loving Eric the way they did, my pets did their prancing, sniffing, and bug-batting thing. This wasn’t unusual behavior, but they looked to him after every other “trick,” like a child who wanted to know a parent was watching with approval. On the way back, Amber found a plush spot of grass near a corner streetlight and flopped over to have a roll, her body twisting to get a good doggie Nirvana scratch. T.C. followed suit, and I had to wonder just what they were rolling in. T.C. sprang up first, then pounced onto Amber’s belly, which made Amber scramble to her feet with a paw to T.C.’s face. When Eric burst out laughing, both critters stopped to look up at him, and I swear they preened.
Upstairs in my place, I refreshed their water bowls, then grabbed a couple of clean dust rags and spray bottles of both plain water and bathroom cleaner. Eric rechecked the apartment, which wasn’t necessary but was touching.
We went to work cleaning the outer door first. Eric trained his truck’s high beams on the back of the building and used his police-issue flashlight to be sure we did a thorough job. Then he turned off his headlights and locked the truck, and we shifted to the inside. The workroom overhead lights didn’t pick up as much dust, but we wiped down the areas with another clean rag before spritzing water and cleaner.
Amber barked her approval when we finished, and T.C. just looked up from licking her paw.
“Will you help me grab some stuff from my trunk?”
He arched a brow. “The murder board?”
“How did you know?”
“It’s not in the workroom or your apartment.”
“All things considered, I’m glad the Six hauled it all to the farmhouse.”
“Let’s go, and then we’ll head upstairs for the night.”
We’ll go up for the night? My heartbeat kicked up, but he probably hadn’t meant what I thought. Probably that was my wistful thinking.
Back upstairs, Amber fetched her soft disk for Eric to throw. He did, then got out T.C.’s fuzzy snake toy. Meantime, I made coffee. I wouldn’t be sleeping for a while, and Eric said he’d have a mug, too.
“I wonder if the Silver Six have already heard there was action here tonight,” I mused.
“If they had, they’d be on the phone right now.”
“Or come tearing over here. Since neither of those happened, I can wait to tell them tomorrow.”
The coffeemaker sputtered to mark ending its cycle, and I brought our mugs to the living room. The critters must’ve worn out fast because Amber had curled up at Eric’s hip, and T.C. had stretched out on the middle cushion behind him on the sofa back. I sat cross-legged next to Eric. Time to ask him some pertinent questions.
He preempted me, though. “Are you feeling calmer?”
“I’m feeling frustrated. I want to know who made those calls and left the note. I wish Lilyvale were wealthy enough to have a super crime lab of its own.”
“Believe me, so do I, but that might not help us find your ‘unavailable caller.’”
“At least Charlene Vogelman is taking me seriously.” I paused. “This does prove to her that someone else is behind the murders, doesn’t it?”
“It’s certainly given her doubts about Aster and Maise.” He took my hand and held my gaze with those sexy brown eyes of his. “Nixy, you need to be extra alert to your surroundings and stop asking questions.”
“Done and done. Eleanor and I had run out of people to talk to anyway. What I don’t get is how this guy knows that we’ve been asking questions.”
“People talk. You know that. It’s possible that someone you interviewed gabbed to others, and the killer somehow heard about it.”
“Gossip Central at its best,” I agreed, though I had the nagging thought it was more than that. “It’s still weird that this guy waited until after I talked to Debbie Nicole to start up with me. Do you suppose he could’ve bugged me or the shop?”
His eyes widened, but he didn’t scoff at the possibility. “Let’s think about that. You don’t carry your purse all the time, and it wouldn’t do much good to put a tracker on your car.”
He was right, of course. I didn’t carry my brown suede hobo bag often now that my commute was a flight of stairs. I could always pop up and snag whatever I needed, and my trifold wallet and the red cowhide flat wallet I’d inherited from my mother could have cobwebs on them for all the use they got. I kept some tens and twenties in a kitchen drawer under the utensil tray. If I planned to stop at Great Buns or at Lilies Café, I stuck a bill in the pocket of whatever cargo pants or jeans I was wearing that day. As for tracking my car, that would be a snore fest. I never went far.
I smiled. “I see your point. Bugging the shop wouldn’t make for interesting tidbits either. The Six and I don’t generally talk about cases in the store. We meet in Fred’s workroom.”
“How many cases are you working on?”
“Just Cornell’s murder. We gave up on Dex Hamlin’s. If he was the big bad blackmailer we’ve heard he was, the suspect list is too long to imagine.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re finding. Motive in spades, and plenty of the suspects own firearms, but there’s no one we can nail with opportunity.”
I leaned my back against the sofa’s armrest. “You know, Hamlin might’ve killed Cornell. If they were buds in the past, Dex might’ve known about the peanut allergy. He might also have known Cornell was living in his car and where he would park overnight.”
“And just happened to feed him deadly cookies?”
“The cookies could have nothing to do with any of this. Hamlin could’ve forced Cornell to eat a handful of peanuts. Or forced him to inhale peanut dust.”
“Except we didn’t find a package of nuts in the car, empty or not. I don’t suppose it will hurt to tell you this now, but Jan Blair is sensitive to peanuts. She never smelled a thing, never had so much as a tickle in her nose or throat. Which reminds me, what were all your questions about this afternoon?”
“I was fishing, but you’ll love this!”
“Tell me.”
I wiggled into a more comfortable position. “On the theory that the cookies contained peanut something-or-other, we’re stumped on why Cornell didn’t detect the smell or taste before he’d eaten too many. Eleanor suggested I brainstorm the issue with Judy, and she came up with a brilliantly simple possible solution.”
“How brilliant, how simple, and how possible?”
“Substituting some peanut flour for regular white flour. And Herk, Dr. Jones, thinks we’re right on target.”
“That’s ingenious, Nixy. I never would’ve thought of it, but I’ll mention it to Charlene.” Eric took my hand and scooched a little closer. “I’ve got your back, you know. In spite of how Charlene has handled the investigation, she’s been doing her job to the best of her
ability.”
“By arresting Maise and Aster?”
“Granted, the arrest seemed extreme.”
“Extreme on steroids, Eric, but I know you couldn’t interfere.”
“So you and I are okay?”
“We’re good.”
He cupped my jaw with his warm hand, and the sizzle shot from my head to my toes.
“Want to seal it with a kiss?”
I put a dash of sauce in my smile. “That can be arranged.”
As our lips met, T.C. chirped at our shoulders, and Amber sighed.
Or that could’ve been me.
• • •
Sometime in the night, my subconscious urged me to a decision. I’d call Lee Durley and ask about his services and fees. Bernice Gilroy’s comment about Magnum had planted the seed, I was sure, but what could it hurt? Eric couldn’t actively investigate Charlene’s case, so I had no help in that quarter. He had promised to let me know when lab reports came in, but I was tired of spinning my wheels.
I rushed through my morning tasks. I didn’t know if Durley’s office was open on Saturday, and leaving a voice-mail message wasn’t ideal, but I wanted to call before I lost my resolve. And before the Six arrived at the store. I didn’t want to share my suggestion with them until I had more information.
I hadn’t bothered to set up the trifold board on the easel the night before, so I did it now. I’d been over the lists and possibilities until my eyes crossed, but it wouldn’t hurt to make a few notes for the meeting. If there was to be a meeting.
I pulled up the PI’s website on my tablet and called the number. On the third ring, a man answered. I recognized his voice and spoke before I chickened out.
“Mr. Durley, this is Leslee Nix. Nixy. I met you at the folk art festival last weekend. With my dog and cat,” I added, to jog his memory.
“Your dog saved my cell phone, right?”
“She did. I’m sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I need to ask about hiring you.”
A momentary silence, and then, “What seems to be the trouble?”
I explained as succinctly as I could. “I’m not sure this would go to trial, but I’m worried about my family being under a cloud. They’re elderly, in case I didn’t mention that. Is this the kind of case you’d take, and what are your fees?”
Again there was a short pause, and I heard papers shuffle at his end. “I’m not sure what I can do for you in this instance, but I’d be happy to meet with you. The consultation is free, and we can go from there.”
“That works,” I said, releasing a relieved breath. “Is there any chance you can meet with us today about one? Our work-study girls will be in by then and can watch the store for a few hours.”
“I can see you at two,” he countered.
“Great, thank you! Is your office address the same as the one on your website?”
“Sure is. Do you need directions?”
I didn’t. I could navigate with my trusty tablet app, but I jotted them down anyway. After thanking him again, I disconnected and felt better for having done something to forge ahead. I really did hate to be stymied.
• • •
The Six weren’t happy with my executive decision to consult with Durley, but they grudgingly agreed to the meeting at two. All but Fred, that is. He said Ida Bollings was coming to pick up her can opener, and he didn’t want to miss her.
We opened the shop to a group of early birds, and I minded the checkout counter while Aster, Sherry, and Eleanor restocked their wares. When I asked where they’d found the time to craft, they told me they’d put finishing touches on partly completed projects. It was good to see more lotions, balms, painted gourds, and whittled figures on display, and some of the goods were snapped up as soon as they hit the shelves.
At eleven thirty we took a delivery of items from our artists. Ten pieces of semiprecious stone jewelry from Diane Grindall, an 8 × 10 framed mosaic with an autumn theme and colors from Mags Deets, and two large stained-glass pieces from Sarah Swanson packed individually. I’d let Jasmine and Kathy put out the jewelry and mosaic, but I’d need to rearrange the window display to handle the stained glass.
The girls came in early for their afternoon shift, so at eleven fifty the Six and I stopped for lunch. The sandwiches were made with the last of the lunch meat friends had dropped off at the house, Maise told me. Slaw and corn chips weren’t her idea of healthy side dishes, but we happily munched away. T.C. and Amber sat under the worktable at Fred’s feet, and I pretended not to notice when he slipped the critters a bite or three.
At five after twelve, the door between the workshop and store opened, and I jumped up to hold it for Ida Bollings as she came through with her walker. My pets didn’t scamper over to greet her. They knew to stay out of the way of canes and walkers.
“I come bearing pear bread, but don’t let me interrupt your lunch,” she said as she handed me the loaf. “I just came by to get my can opener.”
“Got it right here,” Fred called. “Come sit a minute.”
Dab pulled out a bar stool, and Ida pushed her walker to the worktable where we were seated. Then she paused to eye the trifold display board. After all of two seconds, she pointed at each photo.
“Knew of him, knew of him, saw him last weekend.”
I gaped at her. “You saw who, Ida?”
“The fella right there in the corner picture.”
The air in the room stilled, none of us spoke, and the Six looked as shocked as I felt. When the pulse in my throat slowed enough for me to speak, I said, “Ida, that’s Lee Durley. He was at the folk art festival.”
“Humph. Not when I saw him, he wasn’t.”
Could Ida have the information we needed? Torn between excitement and dread, I asked, “Ida, where did you see Durley? And when?”
She scooted her walker and herself to the seat Dab had pulled out for her. “It was Sunday night at the convenience store. I got out of my church ladies meeting late and went home but decided I wanted a root beer.”
It was all I could do not to drag information from her, but I swallowed my impatience. “Ida, this is important. Are you sure Lee Durley was the man you saw?”
“He was in the parking lot under the pole light they put up near the Dumpster, and he was with the murdered man. Cornell Lewis, I mean, since that obnoxious Dexter Hamlin was murdered, too.”
“So Lee Durley was actually with Cornell on Sunday night?” I pressed, completely shell-shocked.
“Yes, and come to think of it, I think I saw the Hamlin man buying beer that night. The store was busy, though. I might be wrong.” She cocked her head at me. “You know what he drives?”
“He has a white pickup.”
“Could’ve been him, then. A white pickup left about the same time I did.”
“Good Lord,” Sherry breathed.
I sat hard on my own bar stool, gathered my thoughts, and looked at Ida. “When you saw the two men, what were they doing?”
“Just talking far as I could tell. The younger man, Durley, was in some sort of a white jumpsuit and was holding a small sack. He opened it, and Cornell looked inside.”
“Did you hear them say anything?”
“I heard their voices, but nothing I could make out. I got in my car, and as I drove off, they both got into another car.”
“They were in the same car? Together?”
“Girl, that’s what I said. What is the fuss about?”
Fred chuckled. “Ida, you may just’a blown a murder case wide open.”
Chapter Twenty-two
I went half crazy waiting for Ida to leave so the Six and I could talk freely. Not that we ran her off. She was headed to Virginia’s Jewelers two doors up the street from us, then on to Great Buns, and hadn’t meant to linger as long as she had.
“We have an appointment to meet
with a killer?” Aster asked when it was only the seven of us.
Maise huffed. “We can’t be certain of that, can we?”
“I do believe Ida seeing Cornell and Durley together is beyond suspicious.”
“And to see Dex Hamlin in the same place?” Dab shook his head. “That isn’t coincidence.”
Sherry flapped her hands at me. “For heaven’s sake, child, call Eric.”
I stepped away while the Six cleaned up the paper plates from lunch and refilled their mugs with sweet tea. Amber and T.C. must’ve sensed my agitation, because they paced alongside me as I muttered, “Pick up. Come on, pick up.”
Eric didn’t. I left a message for him to call me, and punched in Charlene Vogelman’s cell number. The one I’d had since I first met her but never had the occasion to use. No luck there either. Dang! Should I leave what was bound to be a complicated message? Would she give the least bit of credence to our new information? In spite of Eric’s assurance, I wasn’t convinced she believed the harassing calls and note were from the real culprit. I wouldn’t be until she dropped the charges against Aster and Maise.
“Eric isn’t answering, and neither is Vogelman,” I reported, and saw six eager expressions fall.
“Figures that idjit detective ain’t on the job when we need her.”
“I left messages to call, and I’ll try again. In fact, I can call the sheriff’s office. The nonemergency number. Maybe Megan Paulson is on duty.”
Just as I turned on the screen, my cell rang and displayed the library’s number.
“Nixy,” Debbie Nicole said when I answered. “I was looking through those papers I told you about and found something. We talked about having some speakers talk about their unusual jobs, and Dennis suggested a private investigator. Specifically, his stepbrother.”
“Did that happen to be Lee Durley?”
“You know him?”
“After a fashion.”
“Well, Dennis was very proud of him and told me they were close. That all the stepsiblings were. I’ll bet Lee picked Dennis up from the hospital and cleaned out his apartment, too.”
A Crime of Poison Page 25