Shaded Light: The Case of the Tactless Trophy Wife: A Paul Manziuk and Jacquie Ryan Mystery (The Manziuk and Ryan Mysteries Book 1)

by J. A. Menzies

  “Did you catch any words?”

  “I didn’t really. Not much, anyway.” She looked embarrassed. “To tell the truth, I was trying to hear them.”

  Manziuk allowed a bit of a smile. Ryan, seated at the desk making notes, looked up and said, “Why shouldn’t you? I know I would have.”

  Crystal turned slightly to face Ryan. “Well, you’re supposed to try to ignore what people say. Eavesdropping and all.”

  “Honey, everybody listens,” Ryan remarked dryly. “It’s just that no one wants to admit to it.”

  “So what did you hear?” Manziuk asked.

  Crystal shifted back to face him. “Well, from what I could make out, it was something to do with Friday night. Mrs. Martin had gone outside to talk to someone. I’m not sure who. But Mr. Martin was annoyed.”

  Manziuk nodded. There was a pause. “How did Mrs. Martin get along with the other guests?”

  Crystal cocked her head to one side. “She flirted with all the men and ignored the women.”

  Manziuk laughed. “Not a feminist, I guess.”

  Crystal didn’t deign to reply to this.

  Manziuk stood up. “Okay, Crystal, we’ll likely talk again. By the way, if you had to pick the murderer, who would it be?”

  She looked up at him. “Mrs. Fischer, I guess. Or maybe Ms. Reimer.”

  “Who?” Manziuk couldn’t disguise his surprise.

  “Ms. Reimer. I think her name is Hildy.”

  “The neighbor,” Ryan offered as Manziuk began to search the list of names Carnaby had given him.

  “Why on earth would she do it?” Manziuk asked.

  “Because she’s Mr. Martin’s ex-wife. And she crashed the party.”

  When Crystal had gone, Manziuk turned to Ryan.

  “Who do you want to see next?” she asked. “Hildy Reimer?”

  “Before I see anybody, I want to get two things straight. One is that I do the talking. Two is that you take the notes. Got it?”

  “I thought I was helping.”

  “You haven’t had enough experience yet to help.”

  “I’ve interviewed suspects and witnesses plenty of times.”

  “Not in a murder case, you haven’t.”

  “Asking questions and trying to decide if people are telling the truth doesn’t change whether it’s murder, robbery or—”

  “Maybe not. But I’ll let you know when you can start asking questions. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir.” Her voice was stiff. “Who would you like to see now?”

  “Who found the body?” Manziuk asked.

  Ryan consulted the list. “Kendall Brodie, Nick Donovan, and Lorry Preston.”

  “Let’s have one of them in. Kendall. That’s Brodie’s son, isn’t it? We’ll talk to him.”

  Kendall quietly followed Ryan in and sat on the chair indicated. His face continued to look pale and sickly. His left hand twisted the school ring on his right hand.

  Manziuk was in front of him, knees crossed, relaxed, slightly reminiscent of an actor in a cop movie from the 40’s. But he was missing the fedora. “Now, Kendall,” he said, his voice low and encouraging, “what we’re interested in is fixing the time of death. You found the body, I believe?”

  Kendall nodded.

  “You were taking a walk?”

  “Well, sort of.”

  “How do you ‘sort of’ take a walk?”

  Kendall stared at Manziuk’s waistline. “Oh, I’m sorry. The thing is I’ve been feeling pretty sick since it all happened. Did you see her? I did. It was horrible. She was so beautiful. And now—” He looked up apologetically. “I’ve never seen anyone before who was killed. My grandmother, but she died in her sleep and I only saw her for a second at the funeral home. Nothing like this.”

  “That’s all right,” Manziuk comforted, his eyelids half shut. “Strangulation isn’t very nice. Take your time.”

  Ryan looked up. Avoiding Manziuk’s eyes, she said, “Maybe you could tell us what you did right after lunch, Mr. Brodie?”

  He cleared his throat. “I sat and listened while Nick and Hildy talked about skiing. Then Lorry came back and we talked about law school mostly. Afterwards, Nick and I went for a swim. Mr. Martin was in the pool already.”

  “Did you go to your room to change?” Manziuk asked, his eyes on Ryan.

  “We used the change house.”

  “And after your swim?”

  “Dad asked me to make a fourth for a game of snooker, so I dried off and went in.”

  “What time was that?”

  “Two o’clock.”

  “On the nose?”

  “Maybe five after. I looked at my watch while I was dressing.”

  “What time did the snooker game break up?”

  “Around three. My mother called to say there was lemonade on the patio, so Hildy and I quit after two games. Douglass and my dad kept playing.”

  “Who else was on the patio?”

  “Let me think. Lorry, Nick. Peter came out for a while, and then went back in to join my dad and Douglass. My mother was there, too, I think. Then Jillian came down.”

  “What about Mrs. Fischer?”

  “She went upstairs right after lunch. I didn’t see her again until the police herded us all into the day room.”

  “What about your cousin, Bart?”

  “I think he went back to his room above the garage.”

  “After the lemonade, where did you go?”

  “Everyone kind of wandered off to do their own thing. It was too hot for tennis. I decided to find a book I’d been meaning to read and settle down inside. Air conditioning, you know.”

  Manziuk smiled. “Yes, I know.”

  “I couldn’t find the book in my room, so I decided I must have left it down here. I went into Dad’s office to find it, but I started talking to him. I never did find the book. We talked about the firm and Nick’s not wanting to join, and what I’ll be doing in the first while. Then I realized Lorry had been playing the piano for quite a while. I’d promised at lunch that I’d take her to see the Japanese garden when it got cooler, so I went to see if she was ready to go for a walk. We met Nick outside, coming from the rose garden, and asked him to go with us. Some walk, huh?”

  “What time was it when you went to your dad’s office?”

  “Around three-thirty.”

  “Which of you actually found the body?”

  He thought for a minute. “Lorry, I guess. She was a little ahead of me, and Nick was behind me. She saw around the corner first and said something in a really odd voice about how someone was lying up ahead. I thought she was nuts, and so did Nick, but she wasn’t. She went closer and screamed, and then Nick ran past us and lifted Jillian up and saw she was dead. She was—she was—” Kendall put his hand up to his eyes.

  “What happened next?”

  With an effort, Kendall continued. “Lorry clutched my arm. Nick said for us to call the police, so Lorry and I ran back to the house. She must have phoned, because I was feeling so sick I just headed for the nearest bathroom.”

  “Did anyone else see the body?”

  “After she phoned the police, Lorry told Dad and they went up to Peter’s room to tell him. I know he didn’t believe it. I heard him arguing with her and telling her this wasn’t a very funny joke. Then he insisted she take him to where the body was so he could see for himself. I waited for the police. I didn’t want to see Jillian again. Once was enough, believe me. When I heard the sirens, I ran out to the front of the house and showed the police where to go.”

  “You have a good memory for details, Mr. Brodie,” Manziuk said.

  A trace of a smile touched Kendall’s wan features. “I ought to. I’m a lawyer.”

  Manziuk looked surprised.

  “I just passed my bar exam. I’m joining my father’s firm.”

  “Not bad,” Manziuk said appreciatively.

  Kendall smiled a little more easily. “I know I’m lucky to have the father I do. I only hope I won’t d
isappoint him. So many people will assume I got the job because of Dad, and I guess it’s true, but I want to show them I can handle it on my own merit.”

  “Did you know Jillian Martin?”

  The muscles at the corners of Kendall’s mouth tightened as if the question brought him back to reality with a thud. He looked down. “I’d seen her picture but never met her before.”

  “She must have been about your age.”

  Kendall looked up and smiled briefly. “Yes and no. I’ve just been a college boy up until now.”

  “This Shauna. That’s Mrs. Martin’s older sister?” asked Manziuk.

  “That’s right.”

  “Had you met her before?”

  “I didn’t even know she had a sister.”

  “Can you think of any reason for someone to want to kill Mrs. Martin?”

  Kendall bit his lower lip. “You mean someone here, don’t you? In this house?”

  “Someone who knew her, yes.”

  “To tell you the truth, I think it’ll turn out to be someone we don’t know. I really can’t see any of the people here murdering someone.”

  “You could hear Lorry playing the piano the whole time?”

  “I couldn’t swear that she played constantly, but it was pretty steady. The music room is next door to Dad’s study, you know, so you hear the piano in the background, even with both doors shut. Of course, Dad and I were talking. I can’t say I recognized anything she was playing.”

  “Is she that bad?”

  “Oh, no, she’s very good. But I didn’t recognize the songs. When I asked her later, she said they were hymns, you know, from church.”

  “Just one more question. You said Nick was coming from the rose garden. Do you have any idea what he was doing there?”

  Kendall shifted uncomfortably. “No, I don’t. You’ll have to ask him.”

  “Nick Donovan is your friend, isn’t he?”

  “We’ve roomed together for three years of law school.”

  “He’s a lawyer, too?”

  “On paper.” Kendall’s voice held a touch of bitterness. “Actually, he says he prefers skiing.”

  “But he graduated from law school. Is he a hard worker?”

  “Him? He never works hard at anything. Just breezes through everything. And the girls all go for him, too.”

  “Do you think Jillian Martin went for him?” Ryan’s voice interrupted and Manziuk frowned.

  “Maybe.” Kendall laughed, but not with amusement. “Why should she be any different?” He paused, then said earnestly. “Look, don’t get me wrong. Nick is my best friend and a great guy. I’m just a little angry because I thought I was doing him a big favor by getting him a really good offer, and he casually turned it down. That’s all.”

  “What was the offer?”

  “To join my father’s law firm.”

  “Okay, Kendall,” Manziuk said. “If we need you again, we’ll let you know.”

  Kendall left.

  Manziuk got up and lumbered over to sit on the desk. “You don’t appear to take directions very well,” he said. “Next time, would you at least wait until I seem to have run out of questions before you jump in?”

  “Sorry. It was an accident.”

  He snorted. “The trouble with women is they think they should do all the talking.”

  Sparks flew from her eyes and she opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off as neatly as a surgeon. “Get me the girl who found the body. The cousin from out west.”

  Ryan got up and went out. Her footsteps were determined. Her closing of the door was quite firm both as she went out and when she returned.

  Manziuk stood long enough to shake Lorry’s hand and see that she was seated in the other armchair. “You’re not from around these parts, are you?”

  “No. I’m from a small town near Edmonton.”

  “The farthest west I’ve been is the Windsor-Detroit area. Though I have been east and south. I hear it’s all pretty flat out there on the prairies.”

  “Parts are. But I live not too far from the Rocky Mountains.”

  “Hmm. Not flat there.”

  “No, sir.”

  Ryan, her voice impatient, asked sharply, “You were one of the ones who found the body, weren’t you?”

  Lorry turned slightly to look at Ryan. “Yes, I was.”

  “What did you see?”

  Lorry’s description of the events in the garden matched Kendall’s.

  “So you just met Jillian Martin over the weekend?”

  “Yes. We spoke a few times. That’s all.”

  “What impression did you have of her?”

  “She seemed very unkind to her sister.”

  “How so?”

  She told them about the events of Saturday night.

  “You believe Shauna murdered her sister?”

  “Oh, no!” Lorry’s face took on a horrified expression. “You asked me about Jillian and I told you what little I had observed. I never meant to imply that Shauna could have killed her sister. She didn’t even seem to be angry with her.”

  “Shauna wasn’t angry with her sister?” Manziuk’s voice was heavy with disbelief.

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but she wasn’t. She blamed herself for making Jillian upset.”

  “Could she have been putting on an act?”

  “I really don’t think so, Inspector. As a matter of fact, she reminded me of a couple of women I know. For the last eight months, I’ve been volunteering one evening a week in a shelter for abused women. The kinds of things Shauna said about Jillian were very similar to what some of those women would say about their husbands. How it was their own fault for making their husbands angry. One of the first steps that abused women need to take is to realize that they aren’t the ones at fault.”

  “So you feel Jillian was abusing Shauna?”

  “It sounds really unusual, I know, but yes, I guess I do. Jillian was so angry, it was irrational. There was nothing wrong with the way Shauna looked. Jillian herself was wearing heavier makeup and a more revealing dress. It was ridiculous for her to attack Shauna.”

  “If Shauna didn’t kill her sister, who do you think might have?”

  Lorry’s eyes widened. “Do you actually believe it was one of the people in this house?”

  “There’s a very good chance.”

  She shook her head in disbelief.

  “You played the piano for quite a while this afternoon?”

  “Yes. I have some music books along, and Ellen said no one would mind.”

  “What time was it when you began playing?”

  “I didn’t look at my watch, but we had lemonade on the patio about three, and I drank mine pretty quickly and then went upstairs to get my music. It was so hot outside. I guess I’m not used to this heat. So it was probably about a quarter after three at the latest.”

  “While you were playing, did you see or hear anyone?”

  “Nick came in for a few seconds just after I had started to play. And Ellen looked in once. She was going upstairs to lie down for a few minutes. Then Kendall came to see if I wanted to go for a walk.”

  “When did Ellen come in?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe ten minutes after I started. I know Kendall came in at a quarter to four because we both looked at our watches.”

  “So you didn’t see or hear anything that could help us?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Okay. Don’t hesitate to call on us if something comes to you.” He showed Lorry to the door and then turned back to look at Ryan.

  “Can you not understand that I know what I’m doing?”

  “You were babbling on about the countryside.”

  “I was trying to make her comfortable. She just found a murdered woman about her own age. Whether she realizes it or not, she’s likely in shock.”

  Ryan looked down at her notebook.

  “If you can’t keep your mouth shut, at least try to understand the track I’m on and follow it.
Do you think you could handle that much?”

  She looked up. Brown eyes met steel gray ones. “I know what you think,” she said.

  “And what do I think?”

  “That I’ve been promoted because I’m a black woman.”

  “What if I do?”

  “I would have been promoted anyway. Sooner or later. Because I’m good.”

  “Then stop trying to prove you can do my job and do your own!”

  “I am trying to do my job.” Her voice was even as she spit out each word.

  “Right now, your job is to do what I tell you! Until you prove to me you can handle that, you don’t do anything else. Now, I have a murder to solve. I don’t have time to waste on you. Either do what you’re here for or get out and let me send for someone else who isn’t overly challenged by taking notes and watching for inconsistencies in the answers we get! Now, can you do it?”

  She broke eye contact as she looked down at the page in front of her that she had filled with shorthand. “Yes, I can do it,” she said quietly. She looked up again. “But I’m not a secretary. I’m a police officer.”

  “Then stop wasting my time and go get me the third person who found the body. Maybe he noticed something the others missed.”

  Nicholas James Donovan, known to his friends and acquaintances as Nick, sat stiff and straight in the old leather arm chair, eyes attentive as he waited for the Inspector’s first question.

  Keen, direct eyes, thought Manziuk. And, perhaps, just a trifle wary? Manziuk leaned back in his chair and asked lazily, “I understand you were involved in finding Mrs. Martin’s body?”

  “Yes.” Nick’s eyes moved away from Manziuk’s.

  “Ever found a body before?” Manziuk asked.

  Nick looked back at him. “No,” he snapped.

  “An unnerving experience.”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I thought it was a joke at first. I teased Lorry about imagining things. Then I saw her…”

  “Not a very nice sight.”