Death by Association

by Paula Darnell

  Bear had started his early evening dance for his dinner, and I knew I’d have no peace until I fed him. He jumped up and down and pranced around in circles, throwing in a couple hearty yelps for good measure, all in his attempt to let Mommy know it was time for his doggy din-din. After I fed him, he settled down and soon fell asleep, his head flopping over the side of the dog bed I’d made for him and resting on the hard tile. His position looked very uncomfortable to me, but it was one he often assumes, so I guess it suits him.

  Since I was due at Liz’s for dinner in ten minutes, I quickly changed from the shorts and tee shirt I’d worn all day into a short-sleeved cotton print dress. After swiping on some mascara and lipstick and brushing my hair, I grabbed the bottle of wine I’d promised to bring and tiptoed toward the front door, but despite my efforts to be quiet, Bear heard me, jumped up, and ran to me, but he looked at me in resignation after I told him to stay home and be a good boy. If he’d known I was headed to Liz’s, he’d really have raised a fuss.

  “Laurel, just in time!” Liz exclaimed, as she answered my knock on her front door. She looked lovely in a turquoise chiffon caftan that was embellished with sparkling silver bugle beads. As usual, her hair and make-up were perfect. “We’re having a nice salad for dinner.”

  My face undoubtedly registered my disappointment at this announcement because Liz laughed at me and said, “Just kidding, Laurel. You know I wouldn’t do that to you. You get plenty of salad at home. Salads and sandwiches seem to be your mainstays.”

  Relieved, I grinned and nodded. “That’s for sure. I’m one of the world’s worst cooks, and I won’t inflict my cooking on anyone, even myself.” I followed Liz into her dining room where she had set out lighted candles and a vibrant orange floral arrangement as a centerpiece.

  I noticed that there were only two place settings at the table. “Wow, Liz, is it just the two of us? Why so fancy schmancy?”

  “Just felt like using my china and silver, but I’ll admit to an ulterior motive, too. I’m trying out a different recipe for chicken cordon bleu, and I need your opinion.”

  “Before you make it for the colonel?” I guessed.

  “Yes, he thinks I’m a good cook, and I want to keep it that way.”

  “Liz, you’re a fabulous cook. I’ve loved every dish you’ve ever made.”

  “Thanks, Laurel, and thanks for bringing the wine, too. Now I’m almost ready. Could you pour?”

  “Sure.” While Liz plated the chicken and carried it to the dining room, I used the opener that Liz gave me for the wine, pulled the cork out of the bottle, and poured us each a glass of Chardonnay.

  “This looks scrumptious, Liz,” I said, taking a bite of chicken. “Tastes scrumptious, too.”

  “You think Bobby’ll like it?”

  “He’ll love it. Your romance must be going pretty well. You’ll have to bring me up to speed. We really haven’t had a chance to talk since your big date on Saturday night.”

  “We had a great time, and I saw him again last night, too.”

  “Ah, yes.” I remembered hearing their voices when I’d sat outside on my patio the night before.

  “I really like him, Laurel. He’s steady and reliable, but he’s not stuffy. He’s been all over the world and has some wonderful stories to tell. I think even my son Leonard might approve of him, although that could be wishful thinking on my part.”

  “Have you told Leonard about Luke yet?” I queried.

  “No, but he’s taking me out to lunch tomorrow, and I’m going to tell him then.”

  Knowing that the lunch would be stressful for Liz, especially because Leonard probably wouldn’t take the news too well, I shuddered. I was afraid that Leonard might be more concerned about sharing his inheritance with his newfound nephew than with his mother’s happiness, but perhaps I was mistaken about him. I certainly hoped so.

  “And then you’re going to tell Luke?”

  “Yes, I think I’ll tell him and very soon, too. He may not welcome the news, and it could upset him, so I’m definitely going to wait until later in the week, at least. I don’t want anything to interfere with the party you two are planning for Bessie.”

  “I really hope it all works out well. I can’t imagine that Luke wouldn’t want to know his grandmother, especially since his grandmother is one of the sweetest ladies I know.” Again, I wanted to deny the possibility that Luke could ever be considered a suspect in Victor’s murder. After all these years, Liz had decided to reveal her secret, and it would be truly horrible if her only grandson turned out to be a killer. Of course, I said nothing to Liz about it, and I hoped Patty would keep what she knew to herself.

  “I hope so, too, Laurel. I’ve been living with my secret for decades. It’s time to put my past mistakes right.”

  Patting Liz’s hand, I murmured, “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Liz. You were just a kid when you had your son, and, with your husband gone, you were on your own with no resources.”

  “Yes, that’s true.” Liz paused, and we sat in silence for a while. I could tell Liz was thinking about everything that had happened long ago, so I didn’t interrupt her reverie. After a few minutes, she was back.

  “How about some dessert, Laurel? I made chocolate cheesecake.”

  “Yummy! That sounds great, Liz. I can’t pass up cheesecake, even though I probably should.”

  “Well, I probably should, too, but I’m going to indulge,” Liz said, as we carried our dishes to the kitchen. “Coffee? It’s decaf.”

  “Sure, sounds good.”

  While Liz sliced the cheesecake, I poured decaffeinated coffee into the delicate, light blue, china cups that she had set out on the kitchen counter, and then we carried our coffee and calorie-laden desserts back to the dining room table.

  “By the way, I meant to tell you that a couple of police detectives stopped by on Saturday,” Liz said.

  “A tall, good-looking guy and a pudgy blonde woman with an attitude?”

  “Yes, did they talk to you, too?”

  “They came to my house on Friday, and then on Saturday morning, I saw Detective Wesson at the community center when I was leaving after my DIY earrings class was over.”

  “Wesson—which one is that?”

  “The guy.”

  “Oh, well, he seemed pleasant enough, but his partner sure didn’t. She insinuated that Bobby could have killed Victor. Of course, Bobby’s an expert marksman, and he was in the military for years, but that certainly doesn’t mean that he murdered Victor. The lady detective said that Bobby threatened Victor at the HOA meeting, but I told both cops that Bobby calmed down after he left the meeting.”

  “That’s what I told Detective Wesson, too. I suppose they talked to the colonel?”

  “Oh, yes. He said the same thing. Anyway, he has an alibi, so he’s not a suspect.”

  “He has an alibi for the whole night?”

  Liz blushed and a cat-that-got-the-canary smile crept over her face. “He spent the night with me.”

  Chapter 11

  “Liz!” I said. Honestly, I was a little shocked at her revelation, knowing that the two had just met for the first time at the HOA meeting the night before Victor’s body had been discovered.

  “Oh, no, no, no, Laurel. I didn’t mean that! We just really hit it off, and we stayed up all night talking. You know what a night owl I am. Bobby’s such a gentleman that when the police questioned him, he refused to say where he was when Victor was murdered, even though he had a solid alibi. So I told the cops myself that we were together all night. I couldn’t have them thinking that Bobby had killed someone when he was right here in this house with me at the time of the murder.”

  “Thank goodness the colonel’s not a suspect. I guess maybe I can understand why the detectives focused on him, though. With all his years in the military, he’s more than a little familiar with firearms. He yelled at Victor when Victor had him thrown out of the meeting, and I suppose what he said about Victor’s regretting the day he tried
to get the colonel to take down his flagpole could be construed as a threat, even though we both know that the colonel was just blowing off steam. Another thing is that the colonel’s often out and about early in the morning.”

  “Yes, I can see it from the detectives’ viewpoint, too, but, strange as it may seem after only knowing Bobby for a few days, I have no doubt that he’s an honorable man. If he were going to pick a fight with Victor, he’d do it right out in the open, like he did at the meeting, not sneak over to Victor’s house in the middle of the night or early morning to shoot him when nobody else is around.”

  “I agree with you, Liz. The colonel’s a good man. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here today. I swear that mountain lion we saw the day I met the colonel would have torn Bear and me to shreds if he hadn’t come along and scared it away.”

  Liz shook her head. “I shudder to think about it. So much has happened around here in the past week; it’s truly frightening.”

  “That’s for sure. I guess the mountain lion incident was just a fluke, but what’s scary is the attack and murder, both right here in Hawkeye Haven. I hope the police can find the killer soon because everybody’s really on edge.” What I didn’t say was that I hoped against hope that Luke wasn’t involved, especially now that Liz had finally made the decision to reveal to Luke that she’s his grandmother. “By the way, thanks for helping Amy put the finishing touches on the decorations for Bessie’s party. Considering that we’ve had only a few days to organize it, we’re going to have a good turnout. The plans are coming along well, except that I need to think of what to buy for Bessie’s retirement gift. Do you have any ideas about what we should get her?”

  “Let me take care of that, Laurel. I saw some exquisite hand-painted silk scarves at Mimi’s Boutique last week when I was shopping. What do you think?”

  “Sounds good to me. You have wonderful taste, Liz.”

  “I’ll pick out a nice one and gift wrap it, and I’ll bring the present with me when Bobby and I come to the party, so you won’t have to take it. You have enough to do without worrying about bringing the gift.”

  “Great! Thanks for helping. And thanks for dinner, too. I guarantee that the colonel’s going to love your special chicken cordon bleu.”

  We embraced and air kissed good-bye, and I walked the few steps back to my own house next door.

  Bear heard me rattling the key in the lock and came running to greet me as I opened the door. I hugged him, and he followed me to the kitchen, where I had inadvertently left my smartphone. After tossing Bear a couple of baby carrots, I checked my phone for messages. I had a text message from Tracey and a voice mail from Lynn, my cousin in Seattle, asking me if I’d had a chance to test her recipe for pumpkin dog treats.

  Feeling guilty that I hadn’t yet acknowledged her contribution to my book, I called Lynn and thanked her for sending the recipe. After telling Lynn that I’d make some pumpkin treats for Bear to test the recipe later in the week, we chatted briefly. Hearing her baby Emma’s cries in the background as well as Barkley’s howls, and knowing that Lynn’s husband Sam had a night school class on Mondays, I promised to keep her posted about the progress of my DIY for Dog Lovers book and said good-bye. Lynn hadn’t mentioned a word about the murder in Hawkeye Haven, so I felt positive that Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bill hadn’t found out about it, and that meant neither had my parents. So far, so good on that score. The last thing I needed right now was my parents’ helicoptering, well-intentioned though it might be.

  Scanning my phone for the text, I saw that Tracey had confirmed that she had been able to change her schedule and take Wednesday off so that we could go shopping for the food for the party. I was really happy to hear that she wouldn’t have to go to work that day because it would have been difficult to do all the shopping and deliver the food alone. I texted her back with a big “thanx” and spent the rest of the evening watching a thriller on TV.

  My mind kept wandering so that I missed key elements of the convoluted plot, and, finally, I turned off the movie before it ended and went to bed. Unfortunately, I kept dreaming about Victor’s shooting, and a montage of familiar faces, all potential suspects, swam around in my head so that by the time I woke up in the morning, I felt more confused than ever.

  After a brisk morning walk with Bear and a strong cup of coffee, I felt the clouds begin to lift, and I was prepared to face the day. I worked on my book notes for a couple of hours before checking my email messages. I was pleasantly surprised to find that quite a few people had already responded to the RSVP notation on my party invitation. Because I hadn’t noticed any responses from anyone on Luke’s lists, I decided to check with him. I hoped he hadn’t forgotten to forward the e-vites, especially since we were sending them so close to the party.

  I had to go to the community center, anyway, to get my rosters for the following week’s classes, so I could drop in on Luke while I was there. Patty, whether because of incompetence, nonchalance, or just plain orneriness, refused to email me the lists, so each week I had to retrieve them in person from the office. Hoping to avoid Patty, I deliberately waited until noon, when I knew Patty usually went out for lunch, before I left the house.

  As I pulled into a parking space outside the community center, I saw Patty leaving the building. Taking no chances of an encounter with her, I waited until she got into her car and drove off before I went into the building. I sincerely hoped the board would get rid of her, although I supposed they probably would have to wait out her contract before doing so.

  “Hi, Cassie. I’m here to pick up my class lists for next week.”

  Without bothering to respond, the receptionist looked up from the romance novel she was reading, handed me a folder containing my class lists, and went back to reading her book. She and Patty made a great team—rude and ruder. I felt sorry for Linda, Liz’s friend, who worked as a part-time receptionist at the community center, that she had to put up with both Patty and Cassie.

  “Thank you,” I said, emphasizing the “you,” but this time Cassie didn’t even look up. “Must be a fascinating book,” I commented. Still no answer. “Yes, well, I’ll just be going now.” Relieved to end the one-sided conversation, I left the office and walked down the hallway to Luke’s office.

  “Knock, knock.”

  Startled, Luke looked up from his laptop.

  “Oh, sorry, Luke. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “That’s okay, Laurel. I was concentrating on making next month’s schedule for the security team, and I didn’t hear you coming down the hall. What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I wanted to let you know that we should have a good turnout for the party tomorrow. I’ve already received a lot of responses to the e-vite I sent out yesterday. I was wondering whether you’d had a chance to forward it to the security staff and board members because I haven’t heard from any of them.”

  “Uh, oh. Was I supposed to leave your email address on the RSVP line? I put mine there instead.”

  “That’s fine. Any responses?”

  “Yes, ten so far. Let me double-check here.” Luke turned to his computer. “Another one just came in, so eleven now.”

  “Okay, that makes nearly forty at this point, and I know even more people will come, so we should have a nice crowd.”

  Luke nodded. “I hope $500 will cover the food and a gift for Bessie. That’s all Mrs. Casswell would approve. Of course, if Victor were still the HOA president, we wouldn’t be having a party for Bessie at all.”

  “Why did Victor want to fire you, Luke?” Surprised at my own audacity, I hastened to add, “You’re the best security chief Hawkeye Haven ever had.”

  Luke looked at me thoughtfully. “Remember when I told you that I thought he had something on most of the board members?”

  “Yes.”

  “A few weeks ago, I overheard him threatening Mrs. Casswell. He wanted her to vote his way to award the Hawkeye Haven landscaping contract to a new company, and he said that i
f she didn’t do it, he’d tell everybody what he knew about her. Mind you, I have no idea what he knew or thought he knew about her, but she acted scared.”

  “Blackmail?”

  “Right, I think he had some master plan, something that went beyond the landscaping contract that he mentioned to Rachel. There must have been some bigger reason that it was so important for him to sway a majority of the board’s votes. Anyway, when he realized that I’d heard him, I knew my days here were numbered. He couldn’t afford to keep anyone around who knew what he was doing. I might have been able to stay if he could have come up with some way to blackmail me, too, but I’m squeaky clean, so his dirty tricks wouldn’t work on me. Victor was some piece of work. He probably thought that everybody had a dirty little secret. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a dossier on everybody, just like J. Edgar Hoover used to.”

  “Unbelievable! Victor was truly an evil man. It looks as though there could be another suspect for the police to investigate. If Victor was threatening Mrs. Casswell, she might have decided that Hawkeye Haven would be better off without him.”

  “Laurel, you know that I’m something of a suspect myself because Victor was planning to fire me, but, believe me, I would never murder someone over the possibility of losing a job. It’s a good job, but I can always find another one. In fact, Foster Security has been trying to recruit me ever since I retired from the Air Force.”

  “Are you thinking of taking them up on their offer?”

  “Not at this point. I’m satisfied here, especially now that Victor’s no longer the HOA president, and I’m hoping the board will get rid of Patty when her contract’s up. At this point, I’m planning to stay right where I am.”