Murder in the Stacks (A DAFFODILS Mystery)

by Mary Clay

  Penny Sue unclenched her fists, but gave Alice a contemptuous look. "Don't you ever do that in my house again. Guthrie, I think you should get your clothes and go home now."

  "No-o problemo." He did a little stutter step. "It will only take me a minute to gather my things."

  Ruthie squeezed by us and took Guthrie's arm. "Here, I'll help you."

  Chapter 14

  Penny Sue and I were getting dressed when Carl arrived to examine Lu Nee 2. I threw a robe on and let him in.

  "Sorry to come so early, but I'm working on a big project for an aerospace company. Navigation." He rolled Lu Nee to the dining room table and dug a laptop and a bunch of cords from his satchel. "Do you have the instruction book?"

  I snatched it from the kitchen counter. I'd anticipated that he might need it. Carl checked the index, turned to a page, and quickly ran his finger down it. He was apparently a speed reader, because a moment later he powered up the robot and connected a cord to his computer.

  "Would you like some coffee?" I asked.

  "No, thank you. I'm finished."

  Good Lord! He'd done it in less than five minutes. Genius wasn't an adequate description of Carl. "Do you think you can get pictures of the burglars?"

  "I'm fairly sure I can. It appears the recording starts when the alarm sounds. Until then, Lu Nee's little more than a remote camera. I have a meeting to attend now, but I'll get on this right after lunch and bring you the pictures."

  I gestured to the kitchen counter, where I'd put Abby's computer. "I apologize for being a pill, but do you think you can find the password for this computer? It belonged to Abby, the lady who died, and we think it might hold a clue to her death. It was willed to Kevin, and he's tried everything he can think of for a password. They were engaged in graduate school, but she broke it off. I guess she felt guilty because she published their joint research under her name alone and won the Register Award. Willing all of her books and notes to Kevin was probably her way of saying she was sorry."

  Kevin stowed Abby's laptop in his satchel. "None of this should be a problem. I'll drop everything off here as soon as I'm finished. I'll call your cell phone if I have any trouble. Will Ruthie be here if you're not?"

  "She should." I saw him to the door, once again amazed by his brilliance. The three of us could never have figured any of it out.

  Penny Sue followed me to the library in her Mercedes. As soon as she turned in her resignation, she intended to drive to the dealership and buy a new car. She'd always driven a big yellow Mercedes, but said she'd consider a Jaguar if there was going to be a long wait. She couldn't stand the transmission clunk, or my tiny car, another minute.

  Ruthie was up and dressed when we left, no doubt in anticipation of Kevin's release from jail. Although she tried to play it down, Ruthie was truly smitten with Kevin. Something told me that Kevin might end up living in that two thousand square foot apartment over her bookstore.

  Ruthie had offered to pick Kevin up from jail, but it was questionable whether Alice would remember the offer this morning. So, Ruthie planned to call next door at about nine-thirty. Ruthie was also waiting by her computer to print some documents that the Judge was sending Penny Sue for the property sale. If they arrived in time to be express mailed today, she might have her money in a week or so. It was that early morning phone call from Judge Daddy that inspired Penny Sue's car shopping spree.

  We parked at the back, far right side of the library lot and headed toward the front door. We'd just reached the outdoor, enclosed lunch area next to the book drop, when Leonard Kydd pulled in. One look at Penny Sue, and he drove straight through the lot and parked in a corner furthest from us.

  "You intimidated him," I said.

  "Me? Why do you say that?"

  I couldn't tell her the truth, that she'd come on to him like a pushy streetwalker and scared the daylights out of the proper English gentleman. Yet that might not have been the problem, considering the shenanigans attributed to British Royalty by the tabloids. Leonard could be a happily married man, or gay, for all I knew. "You can be intimidating. You're tall and very direct, which many find overwhelming."

  "The curse of beauty and height." She hooked her finger at a swirl of smoke rising from the fenced enclosure. "Someone's sneaking a cigarette. Isn't that against the rules?"

  "Yeah, but I think it's pretty common, especially this early in the morning. Smokers can peek though the spaces between the slats and snuff the cigarette out if Terry shows up."

  "I miss smoking. I could use one right now to calm my nerves. I like Terry and hate to disappoint her by resigning. She's been very nice to me. Of course, smoking in the bathroom is probably what did Abby in. Tragic. Just tragic. It's a nasty habit, but take it from me, it's a hard one to give up."

  "I know. I've heard it's as addictive as heroin," I said.

  "I believe it." Penny Sue picked up her pace. "Hey, that's Susan going into the library. The blond young man must be her son. She told me she had one son who was a champion surfer." Penny Sue broke into a slow jog. "Susan! Wait up."

  I lagged behind, not wanting to get in the middle of Penny Sue's impressiveness. She visited with Susan and her son for a moment, then headed in to find Terry. Once Penny Sue was out of sight, Leonard parked and headed for the front door. We arrived at the same time.

  "Good morning," he said stiffly.

  "Here for surveillance, I presume."

  "Yes. Have you learned anything about the cause of Duffy's death?" he asked.

  Of course I had, but couldn't say anything, since the official reports hadn't been released. "No, do you have any leads?"

  "I've been interviewing some surfers and have a suspicion, but nothing I want to talk about. It's still too speculative. I'm a journalist, after all."

  "I understand. Penny Sue has come into some money and is going to resign from the library today," I said.

  "She is?!" The relief in his voice was unmistakable.

  "Yes, she has a few new things in the works," I said casually.

  "I'm very happy for her." There was a definite lilt in his stride as he went inside and made a beeline for the magazine section.

  I stored my purse under the counter and took a station at the checkout desk. A few minutes later, Penny Sue stopped by.

  "Terry was very gracious. She said she hated to lose me, but understood that my dear friend Ruthie needed me more."

  "Ruthie?" I blurted. "What did you tell Terry?"

  Penny Sue started twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "The truth. Ruthie's father passed away and she needed my help." I slumped in disbelief. Was there nothing sacred? "Well, I need to run," Penny Sue said. "I hope Ruthie has received the documents from Daddy so I can mail them before I start car shopping. See you! I'll let you know if I hear anything about Kevin."

  No sooner had Penny Sue left, than Susan and her son entered. I noticed that Leonard sat up straight and lowered his magazine to watch them. Why was he watching? She was an attractive woman, but there was something curious about it. I watched Susan and her son go down the biography aisle. They stopped midway and pulled out a book. Meanwhile, Leonard left his post and went to the same aisle, running his finger over the books as if looking for a particular call number. Susan put her book back on the shelf and left. As soon as she was out of sight, Leonard rushed to the spot she'd been in and started flipping through the pages of books in the vicinity. A couple of times he even turned the books upside down and shook them as if he expected to find something hidden inside. He apparently came up with nothing and sullenly went back to his seat.

  The day was slow, and I kept my eye on Leonard most of the morning. He said he'd been interviewing surfers and had a suspicion, but didn't want to talk about it. Susan's son was a surfer, and Penny Sue was about to give this woman and her group $100,000! The situation smelled bad, like a week-old fish, and I did not want Penny Sue to be conned again.

  Leonard left at noon, as he usually did. I'd already traded shifts with a c
olleague to take my lunch at that time. I hoped to find out what was going on before Penny Sue was taken for a ride. When Leonard left the library, I grabbed my purse and followed.

  "Leonard, I need to talk with you," I called.

  He stopped, clearly surprised.

  I strode up to him, within inches of his face. "What's going on with the blonde lady and her son? Why are you watching her? Penny Sue is about to invest a sizeable amount of money with Susan Marzano's club."

  "The New Smyrna Beach Ladies' Investment Club?" he asked.

  "Yes. What do you know? Are they legitimate?"

  He motioned to his car. "Let's talk over there." Leonard started his car and turned on the air conditioner. I got in the passenger side. He hung his head, thinking, before he spoke. "I pride myself on being a good journalist. That means I don't write or print stories that haven't been at least double-sourced. Vainglory is not a tabloid rag, and I take great pleasure in its reputation for honest, comprehensive reporting. William Duffy was an old school journalist, which is why I funded his project so long, even though I didn't know what he'd stumbled on to." He gave me a piercing stare. "I must have your word that you won't reveal the source of the information I'm about to tell you. I'm only sharing this to save your friend from a bad investment and hopefully solve the mystery of Duffy's death. I owe it to him. He was a good man."

  The seriousness in his voice took me aback. He was an honorable man, one the Judge would like. "You have my promise."

  Leonard cleared his throat. "I had some notes from Duffy when he first started the surfer story, before he ran into the bigger piece. He mentioned a surfer named Andy Marzano. He's the son of the blonde lady, Susan Marzano, who is President of the Ladies' Investment Club. I interviewed a couple of surfers the other day. Some are very upset about Duffy's death, and one knew there was a snake involved. He commented that the Marzanos were the real snakes."

  "Heavens. What does that mean?"

  "I haven't pieced it together, but suspect it somehow involves drugs. A couple of the surfers mentioned dexies, and their body language told me it was somehow related to Andy Marzano. Duffy also made a cryptic reference to the book drops at the library. I think that's why he was in the drop room the night he died."

  Lord have mercy! Marzano was an Italian name, and Alice was flying a mob attorney down today. Actually, I didn't know which mob the man represented, and all Italians are certainly not connected to the Mafia. I was jumping to conclusions, still ... what had we gotten into? I suddenly felt like throwing up. "Leonard, this is distressing news. In fact, I feel sick. You have my cell number. Call me later, and we'll arrange a meeting so I can fill you in. I may be wrong, but this whole situation could be worse than we thought. Be careful." I bolted from the car and raced to mine at the other side of the parking lot. The air conditioning ran full blast on my face for several minutes before my wits returned. I had to talk to Alice. I sat for a few minutes before I drove to a side street. I'd been away from the library for about 45 minutes. Could food poisoning strike that fast? I didn't know but took a chance. I called Terry on my cell phone and told her I'd developed a terrible case of diarrhea. I wasn't sure if it was breakfast or lunch, but I needed to go home. Considering Penny Sue had just quit, I suspected Terry didn't believe my story, yet she didn't argue. I put the pedal to the metal of my VW Bug and headed home to talk to Alice.

  Our parking lot was almost full when I arrived. The Cadillac, Jaguar, and a strange Honda were parked in front of our units. I feared the Honda was a rental that belonged to Alice's attorney. I glanced at my watch. The man must have taken a very early flight, since it was only one o'clock. I decided to check with Ruthie before I spoke to Alice, which I certainly didn't want to do in the presence of an attorney.

  Ruthie was sitting in the living room with Dr. Willows. He stood when I entered, and we traded pleasantries. "I came to check on Kevin," Willows said. "I didn't realize he was under suspicion for Abby's death."

  Ruthie's cheeks flamed. "That's not what I said. Kevin should be released today. It's a big misunderstanding."

  "Without a doubt," Willows agreed. "There is no way Kevin would harm a hair on Abby's head, even though she did walk out on him in college."

  I crossed my arms and gave Willows a stern look. That was an unnecessarily low blow.

  "I won't keep you. Please ask Kevin to call me when he gets home. I am interested in Abby's books, especially if some are duplicates of books in Kevin's collection. I suspect she owned some fairly rare volumes. Central Florida is my field of interest, you know."

  "Yes, we know that." I took his arm and guided him to the door. "We'll give Kevin your message, but I suspect it will take quite a while for him to compare Abby's books to his collection at home." I held the front door open for Willows. "Have a nice day."

  "You do the same."

  "That guy has some nerve," I said. "I'm sure he knew that Kevin is in jail. The jerk probably thought we were dimwits that he could bamboozle."

  "My thought, exactly," Ruthie agreed. "He asked to look through Abby's books. Can you believe it? That man is truly a snake."

  Snake. It reminded me of Duffy and why I'd come home. "What's the situation with the New Jersey attorney?"

  Ruthie went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. "Can I get you anything?" I shook my head. "There's been a change of plans. The lawyer has an associate in Miami who's going to fly up here in his private plane and arrange for Kevin's release. Kevin may be confined to the condo with an electronic monitoring bracelet, until the Medical Examiner finishes his report. Alice's friend is going to stay in New Jersey and have that warrant quashed. Since you returned the missing file, I thought the medical report would have been released by now, but I guess there are several reviews that must take place first."

  I slumped onto the sofa. "Well, at least he'll be home. Did Penny Sue get her documents?"

  Ruthie joined me on the couch. "Yes, she snatched them up as soon as they came off the printer and headed to the bank to have her signature notarized. I suspect she'll have a new car when we see her again. Hey," Ruthie hauled back and looked at me. "What are you doing here?"

  I told her about the Marzanos and Leonard Kydd's suspicion that there was a drug connection. He also thought the library's book drops were somehow involved. "I came home to talk to Alice. I know I'm probably being paranoid, but I'm afraid there could be a connection with the mob."

  "Hmm, I think you are stretching things a bit. Al's group was a major supplier. Their shipments were so large they had to be buried on the beach," Ruthie reminded me.

  "You're right, transactions like his couldn't possibly go through the library. I suppose I'm just on edge after the two break-ins." I'd put my purse on the coffee table, and it suddenly started to jiggle, taking us both by surprise. It took a minute for me to realize that it was my cell phone that was set to the silent/vibrate mode. I dug out the phone and recognized the number was Leonard Kydd's.

  "Hello. Yes, I'm feeling better now, thank you. I'm sorry if I worried you. After some thought, I believe my imagination got away from me. I had a run in with the Italian mafia a few years ago, so when you mentioned drugs and Marzano in the same sentence, I panicked. Now that I've calmed down, I don't believe there could possibly be a connection. ... Sure, I'll keep you informed if we find out anything. I'm sorry to have caused a stir. ... You too."

  No sooner had I clicked off the phone than Penny Sue bounded through the door. "Come see my new car! I'll get Alice."

  "I wouldn't do that," Ruthie advised with a grin. "Alice's little escapade last night seems to have taken a toll on the old girl. I believe her one night drunk and gambling spree felt like a three-day binge this morning. She planned to take a nap before Kevin got home."

  Penny Sue chuckled. "I suspected she was pretty looped to play strip poker. Has anyone seen Guthrie today? He was tanked, too." We shook our heads.

  Penny Sue spread her arms apart to block the doorway. "Okay, this is going to be a big su
rprise, so brace yourselves." Ruthie and I both took a deep breath. Penny Sue had slipped into her Drama Queen mode. "Close your eyes." We obliged and allowed her to lead us into the parking lot. "Ta da!" she shouted.

  "It's red," I mumbled.

  "And a Jaguar," Ruthie exclaimed.

  "I told y'all I was going to turn over a new leaf. It's an XJ model, just like Ruthie's, and the color is Claret. Isn't that perfect for me? I love Bordeaux wine. That's French, you know."

  "Yes, I'm aware of that," Ruthie replied flatly. "Does this mean you'll start drinking red wine?"

  "Couldn't hurt. I hear it's better for your heart. Want to go for a ride?" She sounded like a kid with a new toy.

  "Sure, I just need to talk to you first. Come in the house and we'll toast your new car."

  We took our usual spots at the counter and clicked together stemmed glasses of wine. "Mm-m, this Chardonnay is good," Penny Sue said. "I'm not sure I can give it up completely. So, what do we need to talk about? I want to take you for a ride. The car is fast and has that new car smell. Best of all, it shifts gears like they're made of Teflon. No more clunking."

  I repeated the story Leonard Kydd told me about Susan and Andy Marzano, as well as their strange behavior in the biography section of the library. "You said Susan had a secret diet potion. Did you find out anything about that this morning?"

  Penny Sue's brows knitted. "No. We didn't talk very long, because another member of the investment club wanted to speak with her in private. I waited for a moment, then left to meet with Terry before I lost my nerve. I did hear Susan say something about meeting tonight at ten-thirty."

  "That's pretty late for cocktails or dinner." I stroked my arm, thinking. "You know, Duffy told Leonard there was something strange about the library's book drops. He thinks that's why Duffy was hiding out there. One of the surfers also referred to Andy Marzano as a snake."

  "No way," Penny Sue said, refilling her glass. "You don't think Susan Marzano put a snake down the chute to kill Duffy, do you? She's a wealthy, classy woman--she wouldn't do that!"