“I find it hard to believe you would switch off Paraiso perdido.”
“Pepe, this is part of our investigation.”
“I thought our case was over,” Pepe said. “You told me we had earned a reward. What is left to do?”
“I’m still having trouble believing Mandy would kill David Tyler. It makes no sense.”
“Murder rarely makes sense,” said Pepe in a portentous voice.
“OK, you got me there. But usually there’s a motive. What’s her motive?”
“You wonder that, and I wonder how Hector reacted to the news that he and Conchita are sister and brother.”
“What?” I switched the channel back but it was too late. The credits were scrolling across a shot of Hector, his head in his hands.
“Yes, it is muy triste. They will not be able to consummate their love. Unless, of course, as I suspect, it is a lie told by Catalina, the evil twin sister of Conchita, who wants Hector for herself.”
“Well, that wouldn’t do her much good—” I began, then realized it didn’t matter. It was a soap opera, after all. Anything could happen that would make the story more interesting. Whereas the story we were in had its own internal logic. I just hadn’t figured it out yet.
As we headed over to the Tyler residence to sign the contract for Dancing with Dogs and collect our reward, Pepe was elated. He bounced in the passenger seat, almost as if it he were on a trampoline. As I pulled into a parking place across the street from the Tyler mansion, Pepe’s ears began to quiver.
“I can hear Siren Song! She is in danger!” he said.
“I can’t hear anything. Are you sure?” The car windows were rolled up since it was raining.
“I am a dog. My ears can hear sounds you have never dreamed of. Open the door!”
As soon as I did, I heard what Pepe had heard—the sounds of yipping and howling.
Pepe was already dashing off across the street, like a tiny white lightning bolt.
“Pepe!” I called, but he didn’t listen. By the time I had climbed out of the car, he was halfway up the stairs on the wide front porch. Then I heard another sound that chilled me to the marrow. It was the sound of a woman—Rebecca, I was sure—screaming.
It was my turn to sprint across the lawn as fast as I could. I pushed open the heavy front door and ran into the house, Pepe leading the way. We burst into the living room, fearing the worst.
To my surprise, I was greeted by an entirely different sight. Rebecca was dancing around the living room, waving her hands in the air, with her head back howling. She was dressed in what I thought were probably her training clothes—a pair of leggings and a long T-shirt with black, gold, and white stripes. Siren Song in a little gold tutu was dancing around her, turning in circles and alternately barking and yipping.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing’s wrong!” said Rebecca.
“I am so glad no harm has come to you, my darling,” Pepe said to Siren Song. He got on his hind feet and circled around her, like a moon revolving around a planet.
“Everything’s wonderful!” Rebecca declared, gliding over to me. She grabbed me by the hands and pulled me into an awkward waltz. It was hard to maneuver around the furniture and the dancing dogs, but I tried my best to keep up.
“What’s so wonderful?” I asked as we all twirled about.
“This!” said Rebecca, waving a piece of paper that she held in her hand. She fell down onto one of the white sofas in the room. “Stewart dropped it off. You just missed him.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a confirmation of the wire transfer. Stewart sent the half a million dollars I need for Dancing with Dogs to the producers this morning!”
“What?”
“Yes, half a million dollars. The show will go on! We’re going to begin filming the pilot in Hollywood next week. You’ll need to do some serious training with Pepe to be ready in time.”
“We’re going to Hollywood?” I asked. I sank down in the chair across from her.
“Yes,” said Rebecca. “Isn’t it wonderful!”
“Are you sure the transfer went through?” I didn’t trust Stewart.
“Oh yes, I placed a call to my partners in Hollywood. They confirmed the money is in their account. I’ve already got my travel agent making the arrangements.”
“For you and Siren Song?”
“You and Pepe as well. We’ll charter a private plane so the dogs can fly in comfort. I’ll give you all of the details. We leave next Thursday.”
“Ah, back to traveling in style,” said Pepe, who had finally wearied of turning in circles on his back legs and dropped to all four feet. His pink tongue hung out the side of his mouth.
“You’ve traveled in a private plane before?” I asked him.
“Sí, many times with Caprice.”
“Yes, as long as I can afford it, why not?” Rebecca thought I was talking to her.
“Do you know that Mandy’s out on bail?” I asked.
“Yes, I know. Luis told me.”
“Luis? Mandy’s brother?”
“Yes, he’s here helping out.”
“Don’t you think that’s weird?” I asked.
“No, I don’t. He’s not involved. He had nothing to do with it. And I need help. I can’t run this place by myself. Who would answer the phone?”
As if on cue, we could hear a phone ringing in the hallway and not long after that, Luis came in. He was dressed in dark slacks and a black shirt that emphasized his broad frame. His hair was slicked back and neatly combed. He didn’t look like a gardener any more. Maybe a bodyguard.
“It’s Channel 7, ma’am,” he said to Rebecca. “They want a statement from you.”
“Tell them I’ll talk to them in an hour. And get Sherman! Tell him to hurry up. I need the contract and the check!”
Siren Song, intrigued by the interruption, stopped her dancing and dropped to her feet. Pepe promptly ran over to her and sniffed her butt.
A few minutes later, Sherman Foot strolled into the room. He was wearing the navy blue suit I had seen on TV, and he had a sheaf of papers in his hand.
He handed them to Rebecca, who placed them on the glass coffee table in front of her and sorted through them. I realized, with a quiver of horror, that Rebecca had already replaced the glass coffee table on which I had dropped the gun. Which might mean I was sitting on the very spot where David had been shot. I jumped up.
Rebecca didn’t seem distressed by the environment. “Here’s the contract, Geri,” she said, handing me several pages. “And your reward check is in this envelope. You need to sign this receipt.”
I took the pages over to the white baby grand piano and spread them out. The contract was seven pages long and full of legalese. It made my head swim. The receipt for the check was short and sweet. I signed that, after peeking in the envelope to be sure the check was real, and then handed it back to Sherman.
“I’ll look over the contract and get back to you,” I said. I hoped that sounded professional.
Rebecca didn’t seem to care. She was busy discussing the statement Stewart had drafted. “I wouldn’t say ‘we trust the police are acting with due diligence,’” she said to him. “After all, wouldn’t that preclude a civil suit if we later decide to sue them for negligence?”
“Not necessarily, but I can revise it, if you wish.” He was being even more obsequious than usual.
“Why didn’t they hold her? That’s what I want to know. It’s ridiculous that she should be allowed to go free. I want to say something like that!”
“I’ll continue to work on it, Mrs. Tyler,” Sherman said.
Rebecca turned to me. “I need to get dressed for the cameras.” She got up and headed out the door. “You’re welcome to stay if you like. We can drink some champagne and make plans for our trip.”
“I think we’ll be going,” I said.
Chapter 43
I picked Pepe up and headed for the door. Siren S
ong trailed at my heels, making squeaking noises. I presumed she did not want us to leave.
To my surprise, Luis was lurking in the hall.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your sister,” I said. “This must be very difficult for you.”
“It is hard,” he said. “I don’t believe my sister would do this.”
“I understand,” I said.
“No, you don’t.” He looked angry. “Mandy is ambitious and she’s greedy. She likes nice things, expensive things, things she can’t afford. But she is not violent. She would never hurt anyone, especially not someone she loved.”
“So she was having an affair with David?”
He shook his head with disgust. “No, that’s not what I mean. He was like a father to her, to both of us. Our own dad died when we were young. Our mom couldn’t speak English. There she was with two small children. I was eight, Manuela was six. My mother came to Seattle looking for work, and Mr. Tyler took us in. This was long before he married Rebecca.” His face soured as he mentioned her name.
“So you don’t like her.”
“Believe me,” he said, “if you had to work for her, you would not like her either.” Hmm. That was too bad because I was, in a way, working for her.
“But the police have evidence against Mandy,” I said.
“She will be cleared!” Luis was firm in his conviction.
“Remind him about the glove!” said Pepe.
“Her DNA was on a glove that was recovered at the scene,” I said.
“Her DNA will be all over this house,” Luis said. “She often helped my mother with chores. My mother could not always keep up with Mrs. Tyler’s demands. So she would sometimes ask Mandy to come over and help. Mandy hated to do it. She thought housework was beneath her but still it was family, and family is important.”
“And the gold pen?”
Luis looked chagrined. “That might be a problem. Mandy is totally capable of walking off with something like that. That’s why Rebecca fired her.”
“So she used to work for Rebecca?”
“Yes, she danced with the dog, until Rebecca accused her of—well, of many things, but among them stealing a diamond collar that belonged to Siren Song.”
That was pathetic. What could Mandy do with a diamond dog collar? On the other hand, it was an absurdly expensive trinket for a dog.
As if he could hear my thoughts, Pepe said, “I used to have a diamond collar.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I said.
“Yes, that’s what we thought,” Luis said.
“And the shoe print?”
“Again, she was often here. Perhaps she was walking the dog.” Luis folded his arms over his chest. “I know they will not be able to hold her. She has done nothing wrong. My mother has some money saved. She will hire the best lawyer she can afford to clear Mandy’s name.”
“Like Sherman Foot?” I was still annoyed that he would represent Mandy and Rebecca but not me.
“No!” Luis frowned. “Sherman was there because he was representing Stewart.”
“What does Stewart have to do with it?”
“Well, he bailed Mandy out, and then offered her a place to stay. He said that way he could keep an eye on her and guarantee that she did not flee the country.”
“I would think she would rather be with your mother.”
“No, the news cameras have been at my mother’s door since late last night. It would not be good for Mandy to be there. Besides she wanted to get back to work.”
“Considering what has happened,” I said. “I’m surprised you’re still working here.”
“Mrs. Tyler cannot function without help. And since she fired my mother, she needs me. Not that my mother would ever work for her again. She thinks Mrs. Tyler is wrong about Mandy. And she wants to hire you to find evidence to clear Mandy’s name.”
“Why me?” Apparently she didn’t realize that I was the reason Mandy was under suspicion in the first place.
“She says you are good at your job.”
I beamed. It was nice to be acknowledged.
“And you are the only private investigator we know.”
Well, that was less flattering.
“Mandy said she would be willing to talk to you.”
Really? I was surprised by that. But then again maybe Mandy didn’t know the part I had played in her arrest either.
“I just spoke to her. She is eager to explain her side of the story.”
“Well—”
“She is my little sister. I have always been the one to protect her. Now, this is the only way I can help.”
“Well—”
“And if you need anything from me, if there is any investigating I can do here, just let know. I will be your eyes and ears in this household.”
“That could be helpful for us,” Pepe suggested. “We would know immediately if Siren Song was in danger! Until, of course, she comes to live with us.”
“That will never happen!” I said.
“What?” Luis looked at me with dismay.
“Yes, that would be great,” I said. “I’ll go talk to Mandy.”
Chapter 44
“I do not like this.” Pepe glanced at me with worry in his eyes, then back at the road. “Do you not think it foolish to confront them—one an alleged murderer, the other an alleged Ponzi?”
“He’s not a Ponzi,” I said to Pepe. “He’s a swindler, a con artist—”
“Un ladrón.”
“Yes, if that means a criminal.”
“So I ask again. Why would we confront them?”
“Don’t worry. I have backup.”
“Well, you can count on me, of course.”
“No, I mean Jimmy G. I’m going to call him and ask him to meet us.”
I had to wait until we arrived at our destination to make the call. It’s illegal to talk on a cell phone while driving in Seattle and I didn’t have a head set. Luckily Jimmy G. was in the office.
“Jimmy G. here!”
“Hello, it’s Geri Sullivan.”
“Who?”
“I’m working for you.”
“Oh yeah, Jimmy G.’s secret operative!”
“Look, I need your help. I’m at your brother’s house. I’m supposed to question his secretary. And I need backup.”
“What for?”
“In case something goes wrong.”
“Jimmy G. will be on the way!”
Pepe and I sat in the car watching the front of the house, waiting for Jimmy G. Nothing moved. All of the houses on the street had blank windows and empty driveways. It was as if the whole world had come to an end. No sign of life anywhere.
I tried to read the contract but the lines just swam in front of my eyes. Pepe was chattering away about strategies for promoting The Pepe Sullivan Show.
Fifteen minutes went by. A half hour. Rain pattered on the roof of the car. Even Pepe got bored after a while and curled up and took a nap. At one point, I thought I heard a strange thump, but I dismissed it as perhaps the thud of a branch against the roof, caused by the wind. Later I would regret that.
I decided to update the notes in my casebook. Except for this last interview with Mandy, it seemed all the loose ends were tied up. I still didn’t understand why Mandy would kill David but a woman scorned can be a dangerous thing. That was why I needed backup.
About an hour later, Jimmy G. pulled up in a red Thunderbird convertible from the sixties. The muffler rumbled so loud it woke Pepe out of a sound sleep. He got up and looked out the window.
“Nice wheels!” he said. “But this hombre does not know how to care for such a classic car.” There were rust stains on the doors, and the convertible top was patched with silver duct tape.
Jimmy G. swung his long, lanky body out of his low-slung car, clapped his fedora on his head, and came strolling up to us.
“Sorry to be late, doll,” he said, “but Jimmy G. couldn’t find his gun!”
“Well, then, how can you back
me up?” I said.
“You don’t pack any heat?” he asked with a swagger.
“No, I don’t.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“You’re the expert! What do you think we should do?”
“I think you should knock on the front door while Jimmy G. goes around to the back, in case the suspects try to escape that way,” Pepe said.
“It’s not like I think they will flee,” I said. “It’s just that I don’t want to walk into a trap.”
“Tell you what,” said Jimmy. “I’ll stay outside and if I hear any signs of distress, I’ll come to your aid.”
“Without a gun?”
“Jimmy G. can be intimidating when he wants,” he said.
I looked him over. He was dressed in a black-and-white houndstooth jacket, a maroon bowling shirt, and a pair of black and white oxfords. At least the shoes and coat matched today. And actually the coat matched the shirt since there was a ketchup stain on it.
“OK. Why don’t you go around to the back? That’s where Mandy’s office is, and she’s the one we’re going to question.”
No one answered the doorbell. I rang twice and waited for five minutes. Finally Pepe and I headed around to the back on our secret path. If Mandy was at work, she should be in her office. At this point, I was glad Jimmy G. didn’t have his gun since if he did, he might have blown us away if he thought we were sneaking up on him.
Everything seemed quiet and peaceful as we neared the terrace. The wind swayed the branches of the willow tree. Rain dripped from the eaves. And then I heard peculiar sounds, like someone was gasping or choking.
The back door flew open and out reeled Jimmy G. He was pale and his eyes were rolling back in his head. He fell to his knees in the grass and bent over the shrubs. Judging by the sound of it, he was being sick. I had no desire to verify this visually but Pepe ran over to him and then ran back to me.
“He had a chicken burrito for lunch!” Pepe said.
“Oh, God, Pepe! I don’t want to know that!”
“I thought you valued my mighty nose, partner,” he said. He lifted it and sniffed the air. “Ay! Ay! ay! ” he said.
Dial C for Chihuahua Page 21