The Scent of Murder

by Barbara Block

“Why should I?”

  “To satisfy my curiosity.” But Walker didn’t say anything. I guess she didn’t care. “All right. Let me see if I can figure it out.”

  She curved her lips up in that thing she did that was supposed to be a smile. “Go ahead. Be my guest.”

  I turned onto James Street. “Let’s see. Dennis and you had a thing going.” She nodded slightly, to show I was on track. “How’d you find out he was stealing money from the company?”

  “He told me. Actually Brad wanted me to see if I could find out anything for him. That’s how this whole thing got started.”

  “And then you suggested that he chuck everything and that you and he run away together.”

  “He wanted a change.”

  “Well he certainly got that.” We were getting closer to our destination. It was not a comforting thought, and I tried to put it out of my mind. “Who suggested the apartment?”

  “I told Dennis we’d have more fun there than in a hotel. He had that place a week later. It was a sublet. It came with all the furniture and everything.”

  “Convenient.”

  Elizabeth didn’t say anything.

  “I guess you must have been seeing Frank too.”

  Elizabeth nodded her head briefly.

  “And you decided to use one to get rid of the other.” Here was this man who was hiding out with a lot of cash. Walker must have figured no one would miss him. It could be weeks before his body was discovered. By that time, she would be far away. For a woman like Elizabeth Walker, it was an irresistible setup. And everything would have worked, if it hadn’t been for Amy taking the diamonds.

  “Dennis must have had other money, too,” I observed. “Why didn’t you just let the stones go?”

  “Dennis lied to me,” Elizabeth Walker said, indignantly. It was the first time I’d heard real emotion in her voice. “He told me he’d taken a million, but he hadn’t. I couldn’t find anything else. Those diamonds were it.”

  “Why didn’t you and Frank go and get them yourselves?”

  “We were going to, but then I ran into Toon Town. Once I realized he was seeing Amy, I figured it was easier for him to do it for me.” She pointed. “Take a left here.”

  I took the turn wide and Manuel was thrown up against me.

  “Slow down,” Elizabeth Walker ordered.

  I did. “How did you know Toon Town was seeing Amy?”

  “He told me. He was buying some stuff from Frank, and we got to talking, and he told me about this rich, crazy, whacked out bitch he was seeing who’d just got out of Cedar View. Then he described her, and of course I knew who it was instantly. How many other people walking around Syracuse look like her?”

  “Why the kidnapping?”

  “We were afraid the cops were watching your place. So Toon Town came up with this plan. Which would have worked, if Frank hadn’t gone off into one of his paranoid fits.”

  “So where are the diamonds?”

  “In my flat.” Walker told me to turn right. We were getting nearer the marshes.

  “One more question.”

  “Yes?”

  “How did Melanie fit into this?”

  “Amy told her about what was going on. She went and told Toon Town she wanted a little traveling cash.”

  “And he told you and you told Frank.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “You got it.”

  “So the story Amy had told me about Melanie owing Toon Town drug money was hype.”

  “No. It was true. Toon Town had fronted Melanie some money for some grass. She just figured that under the circumstances, she didn’t have to pay it.”

  “So tell me? Has this been worth it?”

  “It will be after I leave.”

  “All the people you’ve killed?”

  “I didn’t kill them. They killed themselves.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “If Dennis hadn’t stolen the money, he’d be here today. Melanie shouldn’t have tried blackmailing Toon Town.”

  “Okay. How do you rationalize him?”

  “He was a sleaze. Always sniffing around me. He had a girlfriend. He should have stuck with her.”

  “And what about Manuel?”

  “He should have been smarter.”

  Manuel didn’t even argue. I think he was too scared to say anything at all.

  “And me?”

  “You should have minded your own business.”

  I glanced over at Walker. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Bad attracts bad. It’s a well known fact.”

  “Given that premise, I can hardly wait to see what happens to you.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to me. I didn’t do anything wrong. I just took advantage of the situation. I didn’t set it in motion.”

  By now we were driving along a deserted stretch of road. The sky was a brilliant blue. Each cattail was outlined in the light. I could hear crows cawing off in the distance. It was now or never. I put my foot on the gas, turned the wheel to the right, and drove straight into the marsh.

  “What are you doing?” Walker screamed, as she was thrown against the door.

  “You did say you wanted to get away from it all, didn’t you?” I pressed down even harder on the accelerator.

  “I’m going to shoot your friend, if you don’t stop,” she threatened.

  “Go ahead. You’re going to shoot him anyway.” We were bumping up and down. I heard the sound of metal tearing down below. We’d hit something. I wondered what it was, as I leaned over Manuel and grabbed Walker’s wrist. She fired the gun. Manuel screamed. The smell of gunpowder filled the car.

  “Oh my God,” Manuel moaned.

  I kept my hand on Walker’s wrist. I was turning towards her when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rusted-out car in front of us. We hit it head on. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground lying in about an inch of water and staring at the sky.

  I jumped up and began looking for Elizabeth. It took me a minute to spot her. She was on the other side of the car, crawling around on her hands and knees searching for her gun. She had her hand on it by the time I ran over.

  She raised it, aimed at my chest and fired. I could hear something whizz by my ear as I ducked. I kicked out at the gun. It flew out of her hand and I leaped for her. We rolled over in the mud. I could feel her nails clawing at my face. Then she put her head down and bit my shoulder. I screamed and punched her head. She let go of me and started crawling towards the gun.

  “Don’t bother,” I told her, as I dragged her back by her leg. Then I punched her in the face and she fell back down.

  I ran back to the car. Manuel was lying across the seat moaning. There was blood all over the place. “Thanks a lot,” he said, when he saw me.

  “I’m sorry Manuel.”

  “I guess you really were pissed at me, after all.”

  I started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. “Where’d she shoot you?”

  “My shoulder.”

  I tore the sleeve of his shirt off and looked at the wound. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Walker had clipped him as I pulled her wrist up.

  “What happened?”

  I told him, as I helped him up and untied his hands.

  “You know what?” he said.

  “What?”

  “From now on, I think I’m going to stick to females my own age.”

  “Good idea.” And I hugged him.

  Chapter 35

  There were a couple of inches of snow on the ground, as George, Manuel, Gerri, Amy, Mr. Bones, and I walked down the path to Murphy’s grave. We’d all managed to squeeze ourselves into my cab, since George’s car was still in the shop. It would be another week before it was fixed. Fortunately, insurance was picking up the tab, but, even so, George told me he’d never let me get behind the wheel of a car of his again, even though he allowed that he would have done the same thing himself.

  I snuck a look at Amy as she chatted with her mother.
She was out on a day pass from Cedar View. Two weeks had made an enormous difference. She’d dyed her hair reddish brown and gotten rid of the heavy black eye makeup and the white lipstick. It looked as though the old Amy—the one I’d seen in the early photographs—was re-emerging. She caught me looking at her and smiled.

  “I want to thank you,” she said.

  “It’s okay.”

  “My mom said I should do something to make up for all the trouble I caused.” She fidgeted. “I was thinking, maybe I could work in your store a couple of days a week when I get out of Cedar View.”

  I nodded. “It sounds like a good plan.”

  By now Gerri was talking to George and Manuel. Amy drifted over to my side. “So how’s Mr. Bones getting on with your mother?” I asked. Gerri had come to the store and picked him up a couple of days after I’d delivered Amy to her.

  Amy grinned. “Go figure. She thinks he’s cute.”

  “Well he is.”

  “She just doesn’t want him running around the house and pooping everywhere.”

  “That seems fair.” I leaned over and stroked Mr. Bones. “He looks very dapper.” Amy had put his harness on for the occasion.

  “I’m going back to school in a couple of weeks.”

  “What about art classes?”

  “I’m going to take those at night at the university. Then, when I graduate, I’ll have a portfolio.”

  I broached what I was going to say next carefully. “Listen, if this upsets you, you don’t have to talk about it, but if you want to, I’d really like to know how you found out about your father’s diamonds.”

  “No, I don’t mind.” Amy kicked at the snow with her boot. The flakes flying up glittered like mica in the sun. “The first time I went up there, Dad was in the middle of shaving. He was really surprised to see me, let me tell you.” She laughed as she recalled the expression on his face. “Anyway, he let me in and told me he’d be right back. And there was this little packet on the coffee table in the living room. I figured maybe it was drugs—Dad had been taking tranqs and sleeping pills—so I opened it. To see what was inside.” She looked sheepish. “I thought, what the hell, maybe I’d take a few. Only it was diamonds. I don’t know, I just put them in my pocket and ran out the door.” She shrugged. “I guess that wasn’t very nice, was it?”

  “It certainly wasn’t very smart.” But then at her age, I hadn’t been very smart, either.

  Amy kicked up another clump of snow. “Maybe I was feeling guilt, or maybe I was smoking some bad weed, but I kept on thinking my dad was gonna find me and have me put in jail, and then I remembered what Murphy had said to me about you. I thought maybe you could get in contact with him, or something. I was working up my nerve to tell you, when I saw those cops waiting outside of your store and I freaked. The door to your office was open. I saw the desk and threw the package under it and ran.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I decided I’d better talk to my dad, so I called him and he told me to come on up. But when I got there he ... was,” her voice dropped, “gone. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “So you called me,” I finished.

  She nodded.

  “Why did you keep running away?”

  “I don’t know. I wanted to talk to you, but everytime I was going to, I kept getting this idea in my head that you were going to call the police and turn me in. I thought they’d arrest me for Dad’s murder. I didn’t think they’d listen to anything I had to say. At least that’s what Toon Town kept telling me.”

  “Well, there you go.” By now we were almost at Murphy’s grave.

  “He wasn’t a very good person to listen to, was he?”

  “I think it’s safe to say that when a twenty-five-year-old man starts hanging around with a fifteen-year-old girl, he has a few problems.”

  “Tell me about it,” Manuel grumped. I’d been so involved talking to Amy that I hadn’t realized that Manuel had drifted back to join us. His gunshot wound was almost healed and, although he’d have to go to physical therapy for a couple of months, he was going to have complete mobility in his arm. “I’m definitely sticking to women my own age.” He turned up the collar on his ski parka.

  “Nice jacket,” I commented. I think it was the first weather-appropriate piece of apparel I’d ever seen him wear.

  “My mother made me put it on,” Manuel said. “Walter bought it for me. I think it makes me look like a jerk.”

  “No. It’s okay,” Amy said.

  “Really?” Manuel straightened his shoulders. “You’re not shucking me?”

  “No,” Amy answered. “I’m working on not lying so much anymore.”

  I moved up in front of Murphy’s tombstone and joined Gerri and George. George took out a couple of bottles of Sam Adams out of the bag he was carrying and opened them up.

  “He did try,” I said, indicating the tombstone.

  Gerri nodded. “I think he meant well.” She pulled her sheepskin jacket around her.

  I nodded back in Amy’s direction. “Are you going to tell her?”

  “I’ve been toying with the idea.”

  “I think you should.”

  “When she’s stronger.” Then Manuel and Amy came up and Gerri fell silent.

  They continued whispering to each other, while George poured the two bottles of beer over the grave. He made a short speech, and I did the same, and we both promised Murphy we’d come and visit him at least twice a year. Maybe if he had more company, he’d cause less trouble. On the way back to the cab, George pulled me aside.

  “When are you going to pay me my twenty-five dollars?” he said.

  I did wide-eyed innocence. If it worked for Elizabeth Walker, maybe it would work for me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You lost the bet.” He put his hands on his hips. “Didn’t you think I’d be able to smell it?”

  “Actually I was hoping you wouldn’t.”

  “Don’t you have any standards at all?”

  “A few. But I’m working on getting rid of them, too.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Barbara Block lives in Syracuse, New York, with her three sons and a variety of pets. She is the author of five Robin Light mysteries: CHUTES AND ADDERS, TWISTER, IN PLAIN SIGHT, THE SCENT OF MURDER and VANISHING ACT (now available at bookstores everywhere in hardcover). Barbara is currently working on her next Robin Light mystery, which will be published in September, 1999. She loves hearing from her readers and you may write to her c/o Zebra Books. Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you wish a response.

  Please turn the page for an exciting sneak peek of

  Barbara Block’s newest

  Robin Light mystery

  VANISHING ACT

  now on sale wherever

  hardcover mysteries are sold!

  Chapter 1

  “True story,” George said, his voice hoarse, the way it always is late at night. “A cop jumps in and rescues someone who’s taken a dive into the East River. Three days later he finds out this is the guy who shot his mother in the head.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “My point,” George replied, sounding aggrieved that I hadn’t gotten it, “is that you never know whether or not you’re doing something good or bad until later. You can do something that you think is good at the time but then it leads to a bad result.”

  “So don’t do anything.”

  “Doing nothing is still doing something.” I heard the rustle of sheets and then felt George’s breath on my face as he turned his head toward me. “Doing nothing is a physical impossibility. A black hole is still energy. Negative energy. Robin, are you listening to me?”

  “More or less.”

  “What the hell am I going to do with a fourteen-year-old boy?” he demanded for what must have been the tenth time that evening.

  “The same thing everyone does. Get an ulcer.”

  He grimaced. “Seriously.”

  I shr
ugged and adjusted my pillow. “So tell your sister that Raymond can’t come up.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s family. What am I going to say? ‘Cecilia, sorry, but I’m too busy to help you out’?”

  “Mine would.”

  “Well, mine doesn’t work that way.” He looked as if he wished that it did. “Big families don’t. It must be nice being an only child.”

  “Not really,” I murmured.

  “By the way,” George continued, his voice floating out on the darkness, “I almost forgot. Bryan Hayes is going to call you tomorrow morning.”

  “Who?” I mumbled.

  “Hayes. His sister Melissa is the one that went missing around Thanksgiving.”

  “Right.” I’d seen the fliers on the hill but hadn’t paid them much mind other than to think, another person gone.

  “He’s in one of my classes. He was asking if I knew anyone that could help him, so I gave him your name.”

  I sat up. “What does he want me to do?”

  But George didn’t answer. I glanced over. His eyes were closed. He was asleep. I, on the other hand, was now wide awake. It figured.

  Bryan Hayes called me at the store shortly after ten. By then I’d remembered what I’d read about the story, which wasn’t much. We set up a meeting at four-thirty that afternoon at the Yellow Rhino, a campus hangout that was known for its bad beer, greasy chicken wings, and cardboardlike pizza. I arrived on time, but Bryan didn’t.

  I was standing in the doorway digging around in my backpack for my lighter, when a kid tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Are you Robin Light?” he asked, his breath coming out in little gasps. A light sheen of sweat covered his forehead. He looked as if he’d been running.

  “And you’re Bryan Hayes?”

  He nodded. I pegged him for mid-twenties. He was about six feet two inches, medium build, with a roundish face and brown eyes set a shade too close together.

  “Sorry I’m late. I got held up.”

  I snagged a table while Bryan went to get a couple of beers. He came back with four pieces of pizza as well. I took a bite from one. It was as bad as I remembered it being, but Bryan either didn’t share my view or didn’t care, because he gobbled down two pieces immediately.