by Mary Clay
"That's it." Penny Sue reached across the counter and grabbed the bottle of Irish cream by its neck. "Abby was skinny. I'll bet those guys are dealing amphetamines. You know, there's been a big crackdown on prescriptions for diet pills. My doctor won't prescribe them for me because he says I'm not fat enough. The people I know back in Georgia who take them say the pills can only be prescribed for a short time, like a couple of months, because they are addictive." She munched on a handful of chips, thinking, and came up as Jessica Fletcher. "And," Penny Sue almost shouted, "Florida recently adopted a tracking system to catch people who doctor shop for painkillers and other controlled drugs." She hopped off her stool and started to pace. "So, let's say some ladies have taken diet pills, gotten addicted, and had their prescriptions cut off. Let's also suppose that a woman in that situation has a surfer son with access to drugs. Well, the surfer son offers to help his mother, and word gets out to her investment club. Case solved."
I nodded. "But what does that have to do with the books?"
Penny Sue sipped her drink. The wheels in her head were in high gear. "Abby was skinny. She probably bought the drugs from Susan."
"Abby was only here for two weeks," I objected. "How could she have gained Susan's trust in such a short time? Besides, judging from the cartons of books, she spent a lot of her time scouting old books in Deland. Heck, there's at least a dozen from The Muse Book Shop."
Penny Sue's eyes narrowed, and she ate another handful of chips. "I need to think about it," she allowed.
Ruthie snatched a chip. "I'm tired. We don't have to solve the case tonight, but I agree that we should call Woody first thing in the morning. If we helped him solve the burglaries, it would put us back on Woody's good list and might even help Kevin."
I smiled. I knew Kevin was foremost on her mind, but I didn't care. I was tired, too.
Chapter 16
I called Woody at eight o'clock, hoping to catch him before he left for work. As much as I hated to bother someone that early in the morning, I figured it would save us a lot of time because he lived in our complex, just a few clusters north. He hadn't left. Initially annoyed by my phone call, his tone changed dramatically when I told him I had pictures of the young men who'd burglarized my condo. Dressed in a brown suit, brown tie, white shirt, with black shoes and socks, Woody was on our doorstep fifteen minutes later.
I led him into the living room. Penny Sue was sitting at the counter reading the newspaper. Her eyes caught sight of his shoes as he strode by. Thankfully, he didn't notice her grimace at his mismatched outfit. Penny Sue was a real snob when it came to clothes, always carping at me if my shoes and purse didn't match. What difference does it make, if you're wearing sandals and you live at the beach? If Penny Sue were going to live down here, she'd have to loosen up. Matching outfits didn't make much difference in a place full of tourists who didn't know anyone, didn't care, or had simply forgotten to pack every item of an ensemble.
Woody took one look at the photo on top, with the clear view of Andy Marzano, and slouched onto the sofa with a loud grunt. He quickly paged through the rest of the photos, one showing the boys exiting my backdoor. Woody let out a loud breath. "This is not good. Antonio Marzano, Andy's father, is a local criminal attorney." Woody turned to me. "I'll need an affidavit from Carl Annina, and our crime technicians will have to verify his methodology. We may need to borrow your robot for a few days."
"I'd prefer you do it here," Penny Sue said. "We'll make it available to your staff, but little Lu Nee could easily be broken in transport. I'm sure Carl can arrange a time to meet your people."
"Fair enough," Woody replied. "Leigh, would you see when Carl is available, and I'll check with my staff?" He carefully put the pictures in his briefcase. "Ladies, for your own safety, please don't mention this to anyone. I'll be in touch."
I'd been careful not to mention that we'd staked out the library the night before and saw the brown-haired guy in the picture doing what appeared to be a drug deal. "We need to see what's up with that book drop," I said, as soon as Woody closed the door. "It's almost nine. Do you suppose Guthrie would check it out for us?"
Penny Sue reached for her cell phone. "Only one way to see." She hit speed dial and put her phone in speaker mode. Guthrie answered on the second ring. Penny Sue explained what she wanted.
"I've been wondering about that myself. I have a job in Edgewater and thought I'd stop by the library. I don't have any library books to return, but figured I could take an old telephone book in case anyone watches me. I'll call you when I get the scoop."
Penny Sue clicked off. "Now what?"
I reached across the counter and picked up the receiver for my home phone. "I need to call Terry. I'm not going to lie. I decided to tell the truth, that we needed to be here to meet with the police over the break-in. She'll probably be suspicious since I claimed I was sick yesterday, but so be it. I don't like telling lies." Terry's response was extremely chilly, and I had a bad feeling I'd jeopardized my job, since I was still in the probationary period when the library didn't need an excuse to fire a person. Damn. I'd hoped to keep the job until Ruthie's shop was built. Oh, well, not much I could do about it. I poured another cup of coffee and fished Leonard Kydd's card from the recipe box I kept on the kitchen counter. "I'm going to text Leonard; he's probably at the library by now." I sent a text message asking him to call me at my home number. A few minutes later the telephone rang. It was Leonard. I explained the strange behavior we'd witnessed the night before and the fact that our neighbor, Guthrie, was going to stop by to check out the book drop.
"Does he drive an old yellow Volkswagen?"
"Yes."
"He's here now. I'll ring you back." Leonard hung up.
"That was short," Ruthie observed.
"Guthrie just arrived. Leonard's going to see if Guthrie discovers anything and call us back."
The phone rang two seconds later. I answered excitedly with, "What did you find? ... Oh, Ruthie, it's for you. It's Kevin."
Penny Sue and I moseyed to the living area to give the lovebirds a little space. They didn't talk long. "Alice told Kevin about the break-in, and he doesn't like the idea that the books may put us in danger. He's coming over to get them. We'll catalog them at Penny Sue's place."
Penny Sue and I exchanged a glance and a grin. Ten bucks said he was more worried about Ruthie being in danger than us. He showed up on the deck at our back door a few minutes later. The poor man looked awful. He clearly hadn't shaved and had dark circles under his eyes. A single night sleeping in his own bed was not enough to make up for his jailhouse ordeal.
He also had a thick bracelet on his wrist. Kevin held it up with a guilty smile. "I'm being monitored, so be careful around me. I hope this thing doesn't short out in the shower. I don't know how much latitude I have, so let's hurry. He hefted a box of books and crossed the deck back to his condo. I picked up a half-filled carton and followed. However, the rest of the boxes were too heavy for us to handle. When he finally lifted the last carton, he winked at Ruthie. "I'll call later. From now on you'll have to visit me. I'm confined next door."
Ruthie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "No problem. Let me know if you need anything. I have some exciting news to tell you."
Kevin flashed a real smile for the first time. "Then I'll be sure to clean up fast, assuming I don't get electrocuted."
"No, those things are low volt--" Penny Sue started. I poked her with my elbow and she shut up. Honestly, sometimes that lady didn't know when to quit.
As Kevin crossed the deck, Ruthie's eyes brimmed with tears. "It's not fair," she said angrily. "How could anyone believe such a kind man would commit murder?"
"Don't worry," Penny Sue jumped in. "As soon as everyone digests the Medical Examiner's report, they'll know he's innocent. Abby was wearing a nicotine patch and smoked a couple of cigarettes in the bathroom. It's as clear as the nose on your face. Her death was an accident--an accident Abby caused herself. She got nervous d
uring the debate and overcompensated, that's all there is to it." Penny Sue accentuated her statement with an air chop.
"I'm putting on another pot of coffee. I'm already exhausted. Anyone want some?" I asked.
"I'll have a cup with the rest of the Irish cream," Penny Sue said. "Might as well finish it off. I'm going to ABC Liquors to buy Baileys today."
We were sipping coffee and eating toast when the doorbell rang. "Now what?" I moaned.
"I'll get it." Penny Sue hopped down from her stool and pounded to the front door. "Guthrie," I heard her say. Then, "Gross, is that a big booger?!"
"No," came the unmistakable British accent of Leonard Kydd. "May we come in?"
"Only if that's not a booger on Guthrie's finger."
"I'm not familiar with the term, but we don't believe it's a substance of bodily origin."
By this time, curiosity had gotten the best of us, and Ruthie and I peered down the hall. Penny Sue was plastered against the wall as Guthrie paraded toward us with his right arm and index finger extended. There was a big brown glob on his finger. Leonard waited for Penny Sue, and we all crowded around Guthrie's finger.
"Ewww, what is that?" Ruthie asked.
"I think it's rubber cement. I found it on the upper part of the book drop." Guthrie rolled it between his fingers into a ball. "See, it will hold paper or something, but the item can be peeled off easily. Back in the day, I used it to hide my ... well, I used it to hide stuff."
"You see, there's a space between the top of the rounded drop door and its housing. I believe people are hiding items in that space," Leonard said.
"Which is why everyone was fumbling with the drop. They were actually sticking or peeling off money or drugs," Penny Sue said, in full Jessica Fletcher mode. She grinned at us. "Gee, that's smart. Who would think of that?"
Guthrie's brows knitted. "Man, that's not much smarter than alcoholics hiding their vodka in toilet tanks."
"Oh, Gawd." Penny Sue grimaced. "People drink it after it's been in the toilet?"
Guthrie rolled his eyes. "It's in the tank, the place where clean water is stored before the flush."
"That's still disgusting." Ruthie looked like she might lose her breakfast.
After we all got over the toilet trick, we headed to the living room. "We need to make this quick," I said. "The police could show up on another matter at any minute." Leonard's eyes shifted from side to side, and he looked as if he might bolt out the back door. "Sorry, I can't explain it all at the present time. So, where should we go from here? Should we tell Deputy Heather about our suspicions?"
"No," Leonard said firmly. "Give me a couple of days to see what I can dig up from the surfers. I'll stake out the drop tonight. We want to be careful and coordinate our efforts. In the meantime, Leigh, please keep your eye out for Susan and Andy Marzano. Make notes, if you can, on the times and dates of their comings and goings."
"And, I'll officially join the investment club," Penny Sue exclaimed. As usual, she didn't want to be upstaged. "I'll take Susan to lunch and try to find out about her diet potion and if I can buy some from her. I can be cagey when I need to be."
My eyes rolled to the ceiling. Leo! It was the Leo in her astrology chart, as Ruthie said. She just couldn't be outdone.
I was getting antsy about a possible call from Woody and wanted to keep the drugs and burglaries separate for now, even though they appeared to be linked. We hadn't discovered the connection yet, and frankly, I wanted to find it. I needed a tad of Leo in me. "Okay, it's settled. Leonard will take the shift tonight and we'll reconnoiter tomorrow morning, depending on his findings. I have to be at work at nine, so why don't you call tomorrow at seven. Is that too early?"
"No," Leonard said.
"Based on what you find, we'll plan our next move," I said to Leonard. "I'll watch for Susan and the other investment people tomorrow, so you don't have to come to the library if you'd rather sniff around the surfers."
"Very good," Leonard said. "That will speed our investigation considerably."
"Okay. Now let's scatter before the police arrive."
Guthrie and Leonard left through the back door. If the police happened to be in the parking lot, they would seem like men strolling up the public boardwalk from the beach. The ploy wasn't necessary; the two men made a clean get away. Except for Leonard's rental, there were no strange cars in the driveway.
"All of this commotion is giving me a headache." Penny Sue went to the kitchen's medicine shelf and helped herself to three ibuprofens. "We'd better call Carl," she said to me.
How come we usually meant me? I reached for the telephone and hit the speed dial button for his apartment in the basement of his mother's spacious home on the intracoastal waterway. The answering machine picked up, and I left a message asking when it would be convenient for Carl to meet with the police. "He checks his messages several times a day, so I'm sure he'll return the call soon."
At that moment the doorbell rang, followed by a couple of wall shaking bangs on the door. "What the--?" Penny Sue said as she stomped down the hall. Loud knocks always made her crazy. She flung the door open to reveal Aunt Alice flanked by two county deputies. Alice was dressed in her velour robe, and a brush had plainly not touched her hair. She was frantically waving a piece of paper. "This is a search warrant for your condo, Penny Sue," she screamed.
Penny Sue snatched the document and scanned it quickly, her lips pressed together so tightly they were white. "Good God," she exclaimed. "You want to confiscate all tobacco products, breath mints, strips, or any other item that can possibly contain nicotine." She shoved it at the older of the two officers, a stocky guy with a buzz cut. "This warrant is incorrect. You may not enter the premises. I don't own the condominium next door; it belongs to my father, Judge Warren Parker. Did you hear me? That's Judge Parker."
The other officer, younger and in much better shape, read from another document. "We also have a warrant to search the premises owned by Rebecca Leigh Stratton. Is Ms. Stratton here?"
I maneuvered around Alice, who had hidden behind Penny Sue, and grabbed the warrant. "You want my breath mints and tobacco products, too? This is insane. Is Woody Woodhead aware of this? He was here this morning. We're cooperating with your department on an important investigation."
The young officer shrugged. "Ma'am, we don't know what this is about. We're only following orders."
"Come in. You may sit on the sofa, but before you start searching, I want to make a phone call," I said.
Buzz interrupted. "We must secure both premises to ensure that evidence is not destroyed. My partner Frank will remain here while I go next door until the ownership issue is resolved."
"Well, I'm going with you." Penny Sue wagged her finger in his face. "Stay right there. I'm only going for my cell phone."
The telephone lines were burning bright that morning. Penny Sue was calling the Judge, Buzz was calling the office to correct the ownership mistake, and I called Woody. He swore he knew nothing about the warrants, but would see what he could find out. Woody called back a few minutes later.
"The warrants were issued at the request of the Medical Examiner, which is pretty unusual. However, they're legitimate, so you must not interfere with the search. Penny Sue's warrant will have to be amended, but I understand it's being done now and will be delivered shortly. Let the officers do their job and don't make any trouble. I'll be in touch with you on the other matter later this afternoon."
I turned to the young deputy. "Have at it, Frank. But, Ruthie and I are going to watch you."
Frank nodded. "No problem, as long as you don't get in my way."
"Ruthie, I'm going next door to tell Penny Sue what Woody said. I'll only be a minute."
Deputy Heather Brooks and I arrived at Penny Sue's front door simultaneously. She gave me a "sorry" shrug and frowned at the new warrant she was holding. "Hey, I'm the delivery person and don't know anything about this. By the way, I spoke with Woody earlier, and he said you had pictures of the y
oung men who broke into your condo. That's a huge breakthrough for all of the beach burglaries." She waved the warrant. "For that reason alone, Woody will try to help you out on whatever this is."
Unfortunately, as screwy as it probably seemed to Heather, I knew what it was about. Abby died of nicotine poisoning and they were trying to pin it on Kevin. "We realize you're only doing your job, but steer clear of Penny Sue and Aunt Alice. Penny Sue's wound up tighter than a tick and Alice is in pit bull mode."
"I'm going to hand this over and get away as fast as I can."
"Smart lady," I said.
Judge Parker informed Penny Sue that she could not deny access to the premises as soon as the document was corrected, so she gave Heather a sour glance when she passed the paper to Buzz, who Heather addressed as Miller. Duty done, Heather haul assed out of the condo and Miller wasted no time. He opened a large plastic bag filled with smaller bags and wrote the date and time on the large bag with a Sharpie permanent pen. Alice, Penny Sue, and Kevin peered over Miller's shoulder.
The big man stood. "I don't mind if you follow me around; just give me space. I don't know what this is about. I'm only doing my duty. The faster I search the condo, the faster we'll all get back to normal."
The search at both condos took over three hours and involved an examination of the contents of our purses, where Frank found several containers of Tic Tacs, some peppermint breath strips, and two tampons. His face turned red at the tampons and he graciously left them alone, since the paper seals had not been broken. Then there was an examination of all of the drawers and closets. Penny Sue's underwear drawer was probably the most embarrassing; thankfully, she was next door and didn't witness Frank handling her lacy thongs. However, he did find a pack of cigarettes in Penny Sue's purse, which he confiscated. All in all, Frank found very little, so he went next door to help Buzz Cut Miller. We locked up the condo, set the alarm, and tagged along.