by Julie Ramson
Digs nodded. Grabbed my beer again. “Every search had to be thorough since no one knows what form the money is in. Could be a safe deposit key, bearer bonds, stocks, savings books from a bank or banks.” He drank. I grabbed the bottle back.
Sam watched the two of us. “Something special about that particular bottle of beer?” Her eyes were dancing.
“Yeah,” Digs nodded. “It’s Maggie’s. I don’t want her to drink all of it. Might stunt her growth.”
“That’s cigarettes, you idiot and now it’s no one’s beer. It’s an empty bottle. Thanks to you.” I got up and clunked Digs lightly on the head with it.
He grabbed my wrist. “I only had a sip or two.”
I gave him the narrowed eye glare and went into the kitchen to throw it out. I got another bottle, but this time it was water. I also got Digs one of his own and one for Sam. When I returned to the table, Sam had the first notebook open.
“Maggie, this is really interesting.” I looked over her shoulder and didn’t see anything but some columns of numbers.
“What?” I looked again. Still Greek to me.
Digs also leaned over Sam. “Here, let’s see.” He pulled his chair and mine closer to Sam’s under the dining room table light.
Sam pointed to some figures. “Here. Looks like this is Herbert’s household account book. Pretty ordinary until you get to ‘miscellaneous.’ Then the figures are much higher. See?” We looked. Sure enough, there was an entry for $250 per week for ‘miscellaneous.’ That seemed high in comparison to the rest of the expenses.
Sam pursed her lips. “That started after 1985. The prior books don’t have that much for ‘miscellaneous.’ Wonder what things fell under that category.” she mused.
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, bullets, guns, thumbscrews .......” I laughed. Digs didn’t.
“That may be closer than you think, Maggie.” He looked thoughtful. “I think the gun found in Lily’s closet is going to be the gun that killed Tony Corelli - or whoever that skeleton in the box is.”
“My god, Digs!” I sat back. “Do you really think that Herbert killed Tony Corelli?” For some reason that shocked me.
“Certainly possible. These were not nice men, Maggie.” He got up and went into the kitchen and brought back a pad of paper and pen for notes.
Sam and I looked at each other. “Do you think Lily knew?” For some reason, I didn’t want her to have known.
“Don’t know. We’ll probably never know, Maggie. Sam, what else are you finding?” He looked again at the notebook.
“Not much. They certainly didn’t live lavishly, that’s for sure. He gave her a tight budget for food, even with just the two of them.” Sam paged ahead in the book. “Even looking ahead to 1985, the year that the money was stolen, he was tight with the household budget for things like food, gas and necessities.” She continued paging.
Digs sat back thoughtfully. “If he had stolen the money he sure as hell couldn’t start living large! He had to keep things tight. Look for any extras, Sam.”
Sam rolled her neck and continued paging. “Here! In December, 1985 he bought Lily a mink stole. He put it on timed payments but still......a mink stole!” She laughed. “And, he tried to hide it by calling it a “coat for Lily, fake fur.” She raised her eyebrows. “Except we know from the price here that it was real.”
Digs leaned over and looked as well. “Interesting. Anything else?”
“Yeah, they got a new refrigerator and oven. I guess those were the matching avocado appliances in the kitchen. Quite the rage in the 50's. And here’s a ruby bracelet in April, 1986.” Again, she laughed. “Listed as costume jewelry. But the cost of it certainly wasn't costume!” She ran her finger down the list. “All of these were put on timed payments over several months but still this is a lot of purchases within a short time.”
I stood up. “Enough! I am beat. I suggest that we call it a night and start again in the morning. I can’t even think anymore!” I stretched and yawned.
Sam stood too. “I agree. The figures are beginning to blur. She rubbed her eyes and yawned too.”
“Yeah, I’m gone too. Who wants the bathroom first?” Digs asked.
Sam headed for the bathroom while Digs and I stacked the dishes in the dishwasher and started it.
“All yours,” Sam called as I heard her head for the bedroom.
After I did the minimal night stuff I followed Sam into the bedroom and climbed into the other side of the bed. Then blessed oblivion. I never even heard Digs go to bed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 12
I sat bolt upright in bed - heart pounding! It was pitch black and I was terrified. It took a minute for my head to clear. A nightmare. Serpents and guns and money. My heart rate started to return to normal. I blew out a breath. A dream. A bad one, but still just a dream. I looked at the clock. 6 am. I looked over at Sam, sound asleep. I tossed and turned a bit but sleep was over. I got up quietly and padded into the bathroom. Did the hair and makeup thing. Better than it had been but my face was still purple and green. I could at least cover a little more now. I got my clothes from the bedroom and changed into clean jeans and an old navy sweater. Perfect for digging through a dusty house. I put on a pair of navy wool socks and I was good to go. I tiptoed into the kitchen. Digs came in right behind me.
“You’re up?” He asked, yawning. Even in the early morning he looked good. It wasn’t fair. It was just not fair.
“Yeah.” I was already getting the pot started. Digs came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist. “Umm, good,” he said. He kissed my neck. I turned my head and smiled.
“Coffee?” I asked.
“Absolutely.” He got Killer’s leash. “First I will walk the beast. He and I both need to wake up.” Killer came running when he heard his leash. I had to laugh.
“I don’t know why we bother with the leash. We just unhook it when we get downstairs so Killer can go wherever he wants.” Killer stood patiently while Digs snapped his leash on and then and happily followed Digs out.
I had a cup of coffee waiting for Digs when he returned. The least I could do since he was being so great about Killer duty. He brought in the morning paper and put it on the table, then sat down and looked over at me. “So, any brilliant revelations come to you in the night?” He was only half kidding.
“No.” I sighed. “I guess that it does look like Herbert killed Tony Corelli. I don’t know why it bothers me that Lily’s husband and Emily’s uncle killed someone, but it does.” I sat across from him. Even with a stubble he was one damn good looking guy. Great. The last thing I needed right now was this. Why don’t I ever meet great men when my life is running smoothly?
I picked up the front section of the paper and handed the sports section to Digs. We sat in companionable silence while we drank coffee and read. About 7:30 Sam wandered out. She looked great with her blond hair curling around her head, blue eyes clear. She had old jeans and a sweatshirt on. She looked ready for another dusty day. We took her up on the offer to run out for a coffee cake for all of us. I insisted that it be my treat this time so with money in hand, Sam left.
“Tell me about Sam, Maggie. How long have you known her?” Digs crossed his arms on the table and sipped his coffee.
“Forever. Since we were five. She’s my dearest friend, other than Mary Grace. Sam has been my partner in all kinds of crime and trouble starting in kindergarten. Don’t let that angelic face fool you - Sam is a real pistol.” I was smiling.
Digs smiled and nodded. “Oh, that I believe, Maggie. That I believe.” He looked pensive. “It must be great having a friend like that from childhood.” He sounded wistful.
“It is. But what about you, Digs? Don’t you have friends from childhood?” I was curious about him.
“I do. And I have 2 brothers. We are all close - when we see each other. Unfortunately, we’re all scattered. But I know they’re there and would come in a heartbeat if I needed them.”
I s
tudied him. He seemed so at home with himself. I envied that. Sam arrived then with food and we all dug in. About 9 am the others arrived and I told them about the photos I had looked at. Nothing unusual so far. Sam talked about the additional purchases by Herbert and Sean paused.
“Sounds like he had extra money he wanted to enjoy. He put everything on timed payments though. Smart.” He sipped his coffee. “As far as I know, no one ever suspected him of the robbery.”
Sam looked up. “I hate to say this but it sure looks to me like he did it. Mink stoles, ruby bracelets - not cheap.”
Digs nodded. “Yeah, I think so too. I wonder how he explained all that to Lily. Assuming she didn't know about the robbery.” Everyone’s question.
We finished breakfast and got ready to go back to Lily’s and continue the search. The sun was shining and it was one of those bright, wonderfully crisp winter days. The trees glowed in the sun where they had snow and the sky was a perfect blue. We all walked out and piled into our cars and drove over. Killer was in the back seat of my Honda.
When we got to Lily’s, Killer seemed more comfortable than he had been the day before and even found a sunny spot in the living room. He circled around and then was asleep in ten minutes. Sean and Jimmy and Digs all wanted to see the closets that Emily had found the boxes in and Sam and I returned to the attic.
Sam started in on an old filing cabinet and I went back to the trunks. I pulled out more lovely old clothes, a couple with lovely pins, or brooches on them. There were matching hats, purses and even shoes. Some of the purses had old theater programs inside or gloves. I checked each purse, each pocket and each trunk. Eight in all. Other than the old clothes, I didn’t find anything. I separated everything out, putting the pins in one box, the programs in another and the gloves and scarves in third one.
By one we were all hungry and ready for a break. We brushed ourselves off and headed for a nearby café. I suggested that Sam and I take a break from the attic and help work on the downstairs. Sean and Digs hadn’t gotten to Lily’s bedroom on the first floor so I volunteered to work there. Sam agreed. We’d had enough of the dust in the attic for a while.
When we got back to Lily’s it was after two. I went into her bedroom. It had also been trashed and everything pulled off the bed and out of the drawers. I started with her dresser. All her underwear and clothes had been pulled out and just left on the floor. I felt around each drawer, under it and behind it as well. Nothing. I went to her dressing table next. It was old and well used. The top was marred and stained but I could see lovely old mahogany wood underneath. Refinished it would be stunning. I felt under each drawer and behind the back wooden panel. Nothing. I closed the drawers. One of them, the right lower drawer, didn’t close easily. I pulled it all the way out and pushed it closed. It finally did but not well. I checked it again carefully, but it was just old, warped wood.
I moved to the closet. It was very large, about four feet deep and six feet across. It was unusual for the time it was built. I guessed that it had been enlarged at some point. Some of Lily’s clothes were still hanging but many were on the floor. The top shelf was filled with boxes and there were more on the floor of the closet against the back wall. I sighed and started in. There were 6 boxes on the top shelf. I got a chair and stood on it, trying to reach them all. I got all of them down and opened the first. Photos. Hundreds of photos. The same with the second. And third. And fourth. The fifth and sixth boxes contained dozens of old theater programs, old bills and old letters. I looked at the letters with interest. They were from Herbert to Lily and Lily to Herbert. There were also some from a Rose Reilly to Lily and Lily to Rose. I didn’t have time to read them but set the box aside for later investigation. Same with the boxes of photos.
There were 8 boxes on the floor of the closet. Several of these contained old shoes, wrapped and placed in pairs neatly in each box. Nothing unusual. They were dressy shoes for the most part. The other two boxes held purses. I checked each one but they were all empty. Lily had loved her purses! She had all sizes, fabrics and shapes.
I sat there among Lily’s clothes and life and thought about her. I looked at one of the photos of her. From everything I had seen of her, she looked like she enjoyed life and enjoyed fun. She’d never had children and Mrs. O’Brien said she regretted that. She’d lost her husband suddenly yet went out, got a job in the chocolate factory and went on. I think I would have liked her. No wonder Emily was broken up at her loss. It would be interesting to read Herbert’s and Lily’s letters. Maybe that would give me more of a feeling for Herbert. Right now, all I knew of him was that he had worked as a bagman for Lefty Three Fingers and possibly - probably – robbed him and then murdered his accomplice. Not much so far to recommend him as a person.
I also thought about Digs. Digs and me. When you got right down to it, I really didn’t know him at all. Very little, anyway. Yet, I liked him too. Somewhere in the last week I had come to appreciate his intelligence, his humor and his willingness to help others. Me. Sean. Emily. He was a nice guy.
I got back to work. I checked the top shelf and floor again and decided that I had everything of interest. I wandered out to the living room where Digs and Sean were going through the bookcases. “Hey, guys, let’s knock off. I have boxes of photos and letters and stuff that I want to start going through and I would much rather do that at home!”
Digs looked up and sighed. “Yeah, long day. What do you say, Sean?” Just then, Sam drifted in. She had dirt across her face and a few dust bunnies in her hair. She looked ready to drop. Sean went to the stairs and called Jimmy and Emily. They both came down and we all agreed that enough was enough. We packed up the boxes I wanted to take home and trudged out the door. It looked like Jimmy and Emily were off for dinner. Sean said he had some paper work and wanted to put the jewelry into the police department safe. Then - bed. Sam offered to come and help me go through the photos but she looked so tired I told her to just go home.
We all agreed to meet back at Lily’s the next day at 9 am. This could get old.
Digs packed the photos, Killer and me into the CRV and started for my apartment. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew we were in front of a deli. Digs parked and said he’d be right out. I put my head back again. He came out with a bag of sandwiches and chips and we headed home. I asked what he’d gotten for dinner. He gave me a wicked look and said he remembered I liked grease.....so meatball subs and chips. I nodded approval.
“Dessert?” Important question. I gave him the mock glare but had to laugh. He said he knew better than to come with a dinner that did not include dessert so he’d gotten some Italian cookies and ice cream. I said it had better have some chocolate in it or there would be war. He just smiled.
We got to the apartment and Digs turned to me. “I’ve got a deal for you, Mag. I will walk Killer, pick up after him if I have to, check the apartment, bring up all of the three hundred boxes you wanted to bring home ...if.....”
“If, what?” I narrowed my eyes at him. He gave me an angelic smile. “We’ll negotiate later.”
Uh oh. Sounded dangerous.
We let Killer loose and made the first trip up to the apartment. He checked it and then made several more trips with boxes. Each time, he would come in groaning and moaning, like it was killing him. The last trip he brought Killer up with him. I had taken a double quick shower while he was bringing everything up and had clean clothes on. Digs grinned and ambled into the bathroom to do the same. I got everything out and the coffee on. Digs had gotten Killer a sub, too.
“You can’t keep getting Killer this kind of dinner!” I told Digs. “Getting him back on dog food is going to be the impossible dream!” Killer looked up at me with disapproval written all over his face. I made a face. Regular dog food was probably not ever going to happen again.
Digs smiled. “I like spoiling him.” His smile lingered. The subs tasted great and the cookies were perfection when dunked in coffee. Suddenly I had a thought.
; “Emily never called John, Digs. I bet she forgot. Do you think we should call her and remind her?”
He thought a minute. “Maybe. Yeah, I guess we should. We do need to talk to him.” He got out his cell phone and dialed as I gave him the number. No answer. “Maybe she’s in the shower,” he said, putting his phone on the dining room table. “We can remind her tomorrow.”
Digs pulled the first box of photos up onto the table. I sat down and rubbed the back of my neck. Digs got up and came around behind me. He began to massage my neck and shoulders. “Oh, man. You have to stop that - in about 2 hours,” I groaned. It felt wonderful.
“Just take a break, Maggie. We don’t have to start this right away.” He kept kneading. He had the magic hands. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, I stopped him.
“Your turn,” I said. I motioned him into his chair and returned the neck rub. His muscles were tight and he moved back into my hands while I rubbed his them. Then he turned and stood and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me. I leaned into it - then pulled back. He looked at me questioningly then smiled.
“Now for the deal, Toots. I help sift through all zillion photos and......” his eyes danced.
“What?” He kept his arms loosely around my waist.
“I get bed rights.”
“What? I don’t think so!” I backed up.
“Be fair. You have a huge king sized bed. Two can fit easily. You and Sam did last night! I promise I’ll be good.......if you want me to. Scout’s honor.” He held up two fingers. “I can’t sleep on that damn short couch again. Not the floor either!”
I gave him the old school nun look.