Till Death Do Us Bark

by Judi McCoy

  Two baskets filled with tall, graceful dried fronds flanked the archway leading to a dining room. A large multicolored area rug in the palest of shades covered the room’s sand-toned tile. On the other side of the foyer was a matching archway that led to the huge sitting area she’d waited in last night, while beyond that she spied what looked to be a spacious screened porch.

  All the furniture appeared to be made of either distressed oak or high-grade rattan. She wasn’t an expert, but between her mother’s chatter on artwork and design, and Viv’s antique hunting, she could tell these were quality pieces.

  Walking through the dining room, Ellie admired the beautiful furniture. The table could easily seat twelve, the sideboard was massive, and the smaller pieces, each holding an array of pottery or sea glass, were well matched.

  “Move it along, Triple E,” said Mr. T. “It’s time to get where we’re goin’.”

  “Knock it off, T,” she warned him. “No smart-mouthed pooches allowed this week.”

  Continuing into the kitchen, she again admired the enormous room with its wood-planked floor and vast U-shaped cooking area covered in dark speckled granite. It was there she saw Teresa, Rosa, and Julio’s eldest daughter, standing at one of the two sink stations scrubbing pots. Terry, as she asked to be called, turned when she heard Ellie and the boys shuffle in.

  “Help yourself to the buffet breakfast on the table. Most of the family is on the terrace, so feel free to join them or bring something up to your room.”

  Surprised the girl was so chipper after last night’s incident, Ellie said, “Have you seen Ms. Millman?”

  “Arlene? Not yet.”

  Arlene? Calling her employer by her first name sounded a bit too friendly, but the girl was barely twenty. “We only met for a few seconds yesterday. I’m Ellie, a friend of the bride’s youngest sister.”

  “I remember.” Terry dried her hands on a dish towel and stooped to canine level. “This is your baby Rudy, right?”

  “Well, hell-ooo, dolly,” Rudy said, nuzzling his snout in her hand.

  Ellie tapped her boy’s butt with the toe of her sandal. Terry was cute and almost elfin in stature, but she had a woman’s figure and bearing. “With all the four-legged guests roaming around, you have a good memory. Yes, that’s Rudy. The other dog is Mr. T. He belongs to Arlene’s sister Vivian.”

  Terry scratched T’s ears. “Hi, big man. You are such a sweetie.”

  “Mr. T can be sweet for you, doll face.”

  Holding back a tsk of disapproval, Ellie grinned. “Is Maria in the pen? I’d like to drop the boys there before I get breakfast.”

  Terry’s expression grew somber. “Maria is busted up about the doc’s death. I don’t know when she’ll be down to do her share of the chores.” She returned to the sink and began to scrub. “But she’s only a kid. She’ll get over it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Ellie, wondering why the teenager was so deeply affected by the doctor’s death. “Was he treating her for something?”

  “Treating her?” Terry gave a muffled snort. “Not any longer.”

  “Oh, well . . .” No need to ask for more. She was not on duty in this case. “I guess I’ll take the dogs down. See you in a few minutes.”

  She nodded a good morning to Viv’s mom and dad, who were sitting at the largest outdoor table, and continued to the pen, where she opened the gate and shooed in Rudy and T. “Be good. Someone will be here to look after you in a while.”

  Rudy ignored the Jack-a-Bee she assumed was Greta nosing his behind. “I want a real walk, Triple E. Don’t be gone long.”

  “Me, too,” T demanded. “The sooner the better.”

  “Let me eat first. Then I’ll be back to pick you up.” She climbed the steps and headed to the kitchen, where she took a helping of what could be called a breakfast burrito and a bit of fresh fruit. After adding coffee, she went to the terrace, shaded from the morning sun by a huge rollout awning. Though other guests were up and about, speaking in whispers at the smaller tables, she decided to sit with Viv’s parents, Vanessa and Evan McCready.

  “With all the commotion yesterday, we didn’t get to talk, Ellie,” said Vanessa. “Vivian speaks very highly of you, so it’s nice to finally chat with you in person.”

  “I’m happy to meet both of you, too.” She smiled at Evan, who was scooping scrambled eggs onto his toast. A thin, gray-haired, and handsome older man, he hadn’t said anything since she’d sat down, which Ellie found strange, given the way he’d bossed her around the night before.

  Vanessa, also thin and attractive in a sorority sister sort of way, stirred her tea. “We’re only sorry the evening turned into such a tragedy, aren’t we, dear?”

  Evan stopped scooping his eggs. “Damned nuisance, if you ask me. It was ridiculous for the police to get involved.” His upper lip curled. “I talked to that detective by phone this morning and convinced him we didn’t have to move out of the cottage. Just had to promise to stay out of the first floor and keep the downstairs door locked whenever we left the building.”

  “I’m glad you did,” said Vanessa. “It would have been too big a chore to repack and drag everything back to the main house. Of course, we could have asked Rosa and Julio for help, but I hear they have their hands full with their son.”

  “Arlene pays them, doesn’t she?” Evan asked, then said, “I still don’t like the cops nosing around.”

  “I think that for Arlene’s peace of mind, it’s best we know what really happened, don’t you?” said Ellie. And why are you so certain the police shouldn’t have been called?

  “Isn’t it obvious? The man tripped and hit his head when he fell. Seems black and white to me,” Evan answered.

  Just then two cars pulled into the cottage lot, one a BMW, the other a late-model touring car of some kind, maybe a Bentley. The drivers got out and walked to the front door, chatted a bit, and returned to their cars. Then they pulled out with tires squealing and disappeared up the drive.

  “What was that all about?” said Ellie.

  “Looks like patients, if you ask me. The cops posted a sign on the front of the cottage that said the doc’s office is closed. Guess it’s up to them to find another physician.”

  “Someone should record a message on his office phone, saying his practice is closed,” suggested Ellie. “I’m sure that would help Arlene and keep people from driving in at all hours.”

  “I imagine I’ll be the one to take care of it. Arlene is a mess right now, and Adrianne is no better. Maybe Evan could—”

  “Ha! Not me. I’d just start spouting that the man was inept, so clumsy he couldn’t walk straight and killed himself with a trip,” said Evan.

  Ellie held her tongue, reluctant to point out that when someone tripped they usually fell forward, and the doctor had fallen backward, which made what happened to him odd. “I believe the police always arrive when there’s a nine one one call. The EMTs must have thought something wasn’t right.”

  When Evan glared, she decided to ignore him and concentrate on Vanessa, who seemed more approachable. “What do you think happened?”

  “I have no idea. Martin is gone, so it really doesn’t matter. Arlene’s my worry now.”

  “So you didn’t know the doctor very well?”

  “Evan and I only met him once before. When we invited them over, Arlene always said he was busy with patients, so we had little interaction.” She sighed. “Adrianne spent time with both of them while the house was being painted, so she’d have more to say on the subject, I’m sure.”

  “Then it was Adrianne who did the paintings of the constellations in the back hallway?”

  “Yes. Aren’t they beautiful? She’s such a talented girl, though she’s been working through some issues lately. Actually, Martin treated her while she was here.”

  “I don’t want to pry, but what kind of medicine did the doctor practice?” asked Ellie. If he was a psychiatrist, it was possible he’d had an argument with a disturbed
patient.

  “I’m not exactly sure, but in the past Adrianne’s had bouts of depression. She’s taken some sort of martial arts lessons to help bolster her courage. She said between that and Dr. Kent, she was finally feeling better. I believe she even did a mural on his office wall as a thank-you.”

  Since Ellie had only met the middle sister for a quick hello early yesterday evening, she had no idea what kind of person Adrianne was. Whenever Viv talked about her, she tended to roll her eyes, which told her nothing, but at least she now had a clue to Dr. Kent’s business.

  “Enough about my family,” said Vanessa. “Viv says you’re a professional dog walker.”

  “Yes, and I love my job. It’s not like Viv’s big-time bank and trade position, but it suits me perfectly.”

  “Good for you. It’s important to be happy in life.”

  Ellie turned to Evan. Maybe eating breakfast had eased his crabby quotient. “Vivian never said, Mr. McCready. What is it you did before you retired?”

  He gave his wife a pointed look. “I was in the security business.”

  “Oh, Evan, there’s no need to be so secretive,” Vanessa said with a laugh. She gazed at Ellie. “He’s too modest. Evan was in naval intelligence. Then he became a member of the CIA. It was back in the day when things were dicey with the Russians, so he doesn’t like to talk about it.”

  “Really, Vanessa, that’s not a stranger’s business,” Evan said, his voice almost a growl. “I’m sure Ms. Englewood doesn’t care what I did in the past.”

  “It’s Engleman, Mr. McCready, and it sounds like you’ve lived an exciting life,” said Ellie. “Maybe you should write a book of your exploits.”

  He didn’t respond, but he did give her a grim smile. Viv took that moment to sashay to the table, her plate piled high with fruit and eggs.

  “Morning, everyone.” She gazed at her mother. “Where’re Arlene and Adrianne?”

  “Arlene is in her office, talking with the police. Adrianne went along to make sure she could handle it.”

  “Did the cops say if they’d heard from the medical examiner?”

  Ellie was happy Viv had asked what she’d been wondering.

  “I’m not sure, but we did find out where Julio was all night. It seems that besides Teresa and Maria, he and Rosa have a son named Tomas. He arrived home unexpectedly and needed help with something, so his father came to his aid.” Vanessa leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea. “Very strange, if you ask me. Even Arlene found it odd that they’d never mentioned he’d be returning the night of the party.”

  “Is he planning to live here?” asked Ellie, figuring it was a safe question.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a visit. According to Arlene, Tomas has been living somewhere else since Myron died. It was just last week that he asked to come home, and Arlene said yes.”

  “Sounds to me as if big sis is a jinx,” said Viv. “That’s two men gone from the planet, and both of them were involved with her.”

  “Vivian Maureen McCready, I cannot believe you just said that,” Vanessa scolded. “You really do need to control your mouth.”

  Ellie hid a grin. The irreverent comment was typical Vivian, and she knew it had been meant as a joke. “Viv tells me everyone in the family is a member of Mensa,” she said, hoping to draw the older woman to another topic. “You must be proud of your family.”

  Vanessa locked gazes with her youngest daughter. “I’m proud of all my girls. Even those who refuse to try out for Mensa. Are you a member?”

  “Uh, no. I never thought to take the test.”

  “Vivian tells me you’re very clever. Perhaps you should sign up and see what they say.”

  “I said Ellie was clever, Mother, but I meant it in a more practical way,” said Viv. “She’s a super sleuth. Even solved a couple of homicides in the city. And she’s dating an NYPD detective, too.”

  Ellie groaned internally. So much for her best friend’s promise to keep it “buttoned.” “Your daughter’s exaggerating,” she said, kicking Viv under the table. “I’ve just been lucky figuring things out.”

  “So that’s why you’re asking so many questions,” said Evan. “Seems to me you should let the police do their job.”

  That comment cemented Ellie’s opinion of Evan McCready. “I wouldn’t dream of interfering in police business, but I do like things to make sense. And I’m a people person, so I enjoy learning what makes them tick.” She finished her coffee and set the cup down. “But I really love dogs.”

  “Especially the tiny ones,” added Vivian.

  “Humph. If you ask me, those mini-mutts belong in a blender.”

  “Which is the reason we could never have a dog growing up,” said Vivian, ignoring the slam against canines. “Dad just isn’t an animal lover.”

  If Evan McCready wasn’t such a grouch, Ellie might have felt sorry for him. It was obvious he had no idea how wonderful it was to have a trusting and loving animal in one’s life. But with that cynical attitude, it was clear the man didn’t deserve a four-legged friend. “Too bad. Dogs really do add to a person’s happiness.”

  “Some people, maybe,” he groused, pushing away from the table. “I have a ten o’clock tee time, so I’ll see you all later.” With that, he headed down the stairs and took the walk to the guesthouse.

  “Dad’s in rare form this morning,” said Viv.

  “He’s just miffed by the police hubbub,” Vanessa offered. “Once things calm down, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

  “So what’s Arlene planning to do for a funeral? Or does Dr. Kent have family to take care of things?”

  “According to the police, nothing can be done until they’re finished with the investigation. I only wish they’d hurry. In the meantime, she must be making some kind of plans.”

  Ellie heard voices and glanced at the door leading to the kitchen. “It sounds as if Adrianne and Arlene are on their way here. Maybe they’ll fill us in.”

  Chapter 4

  Wearing bright red heeled sandals, a tight red halter top, and a pair of snug white jeans, Adrianne stepped onto the terrace with Arlene, who gave a wave and raced down the stairs.

  After gazing out at the cottage, where another car had stopped, Adrianne groaned. “God, I can’t stand it. People were knocking on Marty’s office door at six a.m. Was the man always open for business?”

  “Arlene said he kept unusual office hours, but there’s a note on the door. Word will get out soon and his patients will find another doctor,” said Vanessa. “Where did your sister run off to?”

  “Big sis just wanted to see her babies, so she went to the pen to say hello.” She sauntered to the table and glided swanlike into the chair just vacated by her father. “Thank God this mess is almost over.”

  It was the first time Ellie had a good chance to study the middle sister. The woman had long dark hair, the same color as Viv and Arlene, and she, too, was beautiful, but there was an air of untouchability about her, almost as if she was looking for a fight. While Arlene was on the short side, like her father, Viv and Adrianne were tall, like Vanessa. And Adrianne’s arm muscles were cut, though her body was curved into a modelsized figure.

  “How is your sister this morning?” asked Vanessa. “Holding up under the strain, I hope.”

  “I suppose, but you’ll have to ask her. That detective is a pit bull when it comes to the details.” Adrianne ran a hand through her straight and shiny hair. “The questions never seemed to stop.”

  “What did he want to know?” asked Ellie. For the time being, getting a few details secondhand was probably better than asking about things herself. Especially since she wasn’t really investigating. “Did he mention an autopsy report?”

  “Ugh. That’s too morbid to talk about.” She scanned the terrace. “Where’s Rosa, by the way, or one of her girls? I could use a cup of coffee.” She frowned. “Arlene really needs to do something about her help.”

  “You must have seen the full buffet in the kitchen,” said
Viv. “We’re supposed to serve ourselves.”

  “What’s the point of having servants if you have to do everything yourself?” a sullen Adrianne asked. Sounding much like her father, she scrunched her mouth into a pout, looked the terrace over again, then stood and stalked to the house. “I’ll be back.”

  “Why, yes, thanks for asking. I’d love a coffee refill,” muttered Viv. She glanced at her mother. “Adrianne seems to be in rare form this morning. In fact, she’s dressed like she’s ready to go clubbing instead of assisting a sibling in mourning. That drug Dr. Kent gave her must be working.”

  “Drug? What drug?” Vanessa asked, her expression one of total innocence.

  Viv did the eye roll thing. “Come on, Mom. You must see it. She’s on something. And so is Arlene, if you ask me.”

  Ellie leaned back in her chair, chewing the last of her fruit salad. Vivian had just backed up Rudy’s observation, and she had no right to butt into the discussion. Besides, she’d probably learn more by listening.

  “Yes, Dr. Kent gave her a prescription for medication, but you make it sound like she’s taking one of those illegal street drugs,” said Vanessa. “She’s taking something for her depression. You know how she gets when the muse leaves her and she can’t paint.”

  “Muse my ass,” said Viv. “She’s a spoiled brat—always has been. She fooled you and Dad completely with that ‘art is my life’ crapola while she was in high school and college, and she’s still doing it at thirty-five. FYI, prescription drugs can be illegal, too, especially if they’re not monitored.”