Murder as a Second Language: A Claire Malloy Mystery (Claire Malloy Mysteries)

by Hess, Joan

  “Yes, of course.” Her giggle was forced, bereft of merriment. I waited quietly while she struggled to concoct a rational explanation. I considered telling her not to bother, but doing so might have been construed as an affront to her creativity. “She told me one of her students went inside her office while she was in the classroom. He was just sitting there when she came in, but it made her nervous because she keeps her purse and laptop there.”

  “Why not just lock her door with the regular key?”

  This was more of a poser, but I was in no rush to sit behind the reception desk. “Well,” Keiko said at last, “maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, Claire. Gregory and some of the board members have keys, too. Leslie is a very private woman. She said that she kept trying to watch her office even when she was teaching. Very hard to concentrate, yes?”

  “Does Gregory know his key won’t open her office?”

  “You’ll have to ask him. Ooh, I thought of something I may not have told you about last Monday night. Sonya went into his office after she talked to Rick.”

  “No, you didn’t tell me that. Was she still there when you left?”

  “They were arguing, but I didn’t hear what they said. I am not as good a detective as you are. If you will forgive me, I need to make calls.”

  I stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. “Leslie wasn’t here that night. How did Rick and Sonya get into her office?”

  “Leslie had the lock rekeyed on Wednesday.” She picked up the receiver and began to punch buttons.

  I poured myself a mug of coffee and sat down at Reception Central. “Please hold for the next available agent,” I informed no one. “Your call is very important to us.” I thought about Miss Parchester’s complaint about the airlines. I flipped through the card holder and found her number. Before I could call, the students emerged from the classroom. Leslie failed to acknowledge me as she walked by the desk.

  Yelena, in contrast, perched on the corner of it and said, “I did not see you after my dramatic scene. Was good, yes? Please tell me it made you cry. Everybody liked it, yes?”

  “It was so fraught with emotion that I was overwhelmed,” I said with a sad frown. “I was especially moved when you almost fell off the chair.”

  “That added drama, I think. Chair was hard to stand on. Lucky to be caught by handsome man with bow tie. I must thank him more when I see him.” She went on to tell about past performances of “highest drama” until I finally told her I needed to make a phone call. After making me promise to come watch her Russian women’s club perform at a retirement home, she wandered away.

  Miss Parchester answered the phone with a chirpy hello. Rather than give her the opportunity to come up with an excuse, I told her that I would be at her house shortly after noon with lunch. I did not mention that it would be lunch for three, aware that if I did, I would have a leftover sandwich in my bag.

  When Gregory arrived, I grabbed my coffee mug and followed him into his office like a bird dog. He seemed unsettled as I sat down and waited for him to do the same. “Is there something I can help you with, Claire?”

  “You omitted a detail when you told me what you did the night Ludmila was murdered,” I began in a deceptively affable voice. “I’m disappointed in you, frankly.”

  “Omitted a detail? I don’t think I did. I admitted shouting at Ludmila, which was inappropriate and ill-tempered. I was ashamed of myself afterward. If she’d still been there when I was ready to leave, I would have apologized.” He shrugged. “I would have tried to apologize. She and I did not … communicate well. I presume that doesn’t surprise you.”

  I waggled my finger at him. “You didn’t mention that Sonya was in your office at the time.”

  “Does it matter? She and I had a couple of words about the meeting and how to deal with Rick in the future.”

  “Then she hopped into her Barbie-mobile and took off for the bars on Thurber Street. Do you really believe I’m that gullible? C’mon, Gregory, you’re a big boy now. I don’t want to hear about the mushy stuff, if there was any. You and she had a loud argument. Was it a lovers’ quarrel?” I paused, but he didn’t seem to have anything to contribute. “Did she say she was going to Thurber Street? Oh my goodness, Gregory, that must have pissed you off.”

  He flapped his hands in denial. “No, it had to do with a personal matter that’s none of your business. Yes, she came into my office to wait until everybody left. We may have raised our voices, and we were still a bit testy when we came out of my office. Everyone was gone. I turned off the lights after Sonya went outside. She suggested that we resolve our little problem at my house. That’s all I care to say about this matter—except I turned off the lights.”

  “Did Sonya ride with you?”

  “What earthly difference does that make? She rode with me, and I dropped her off here the next morning at seven. Will you please go away and stop harassing me? I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  I felt my hands curl into fists. “I talked to Lilac yesterday afternoon. She told me how you treated your wife. You didn’t love her. All you wanted to do was crush her into mindless servitude. You succeeded, didn’t you?”

  “She had mental problems long before I met her. I did my best to help her, but obviously I failed. As for Lilac, did she offer you wine while you talked? I don’t remember when I’ve seen her without a drink in hand. I’ll bet she didn’t tell you about her numerous affairs. Her husband’s so dense that he doesn’t have an inkling there’s anything wrong with his marriage.” He climbed off his high horse and walked around me to open his door. “I don’t think we can use your services in the future, Claire. There’s no room here for highly opinionated tutors with abrasive tongues. Our students are our first priority.”

  His most vulnerable spot was well within reach of my knee, which was tensed in gleeful anticipation. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The temptation was so strong that I could taste it. Repressing one’s feelings can be harmful to one’s health. However, the wife of the deputy chief should never stoop to committing bodily assault. I smiled evilly as I envisioned the act, replete with his shock as he crumpled to the floor and began to howl. In my fantasy, the expression on his face was, well, priceless. I may have been snickering as I left.

  His door remained closed the rest of the time I was there. I answered the phone, wrote down messages in flawless cursive, and waited. Caron and Inez came in together, found their students, and disappeared into cubicles. Leslie went from her office to the classroom and back on the hour, apparently unaware of my existence. I found her behavior discourteous, be it justified or not. She was hardly a proper role model for the students. Yelena related another story of her glory on the Moscow stage before rushing off to finish her homework. Nasreen, Caron’s student from Iran, gave me a baggie with a gooey piece of pastry, whispering that she’d noticed I hadn’t tasted it at the potluck. I thanked her warmly, gobbled it down, and licked honey off my fingers for the next ten minutes.

  At noon I straightened the desktop and went to the doorway of Keiko’s office. “Good luck finding my replacement.”

  “We will see you no more?” She sounded disturbingly optimistic.

  “I think you’ll see me fairly soon.” I drove to a sandwich shop and ordered three different subs in case Miao was a vegetarian and Miss Parchester loathed green peppers, or vice versa. I didn’t bother to watch for a black car as I drove across town. Miss Parchester came to the door almost immediately and shooed me in. We went into the kitchen, where she put on the teakettle and I found three plates and napkins. I heard a faint gasp. “Shall we eat at the table or in the living room?” I asked.

  “I, uh, I think the table. Cats, as I’m sure you know, go simply crazy at a whiff of turkey. They’d crawl all over us in the living room. Oh dear, Claire, I’m not sure this is wise.”

  “Eating lunch? It may not be a wise thing, but it’s very popular these days.” I set the table and took the sandwiches out of the sack. Miss Parchester kept her ba
ck to me as she took out cups and saucers. I waited until she brought them to the table, her hands trembling so badly that they clinked. “We’ll need three cups and saucers,” I said cheerfully as I took one of each out of the cabinet. “These sandwiches are warm and toasty, but they won’t be nearly as yummy later. I’ll look for the salt and pepper shakers while you fetch Miao.”

  “This is not wise,” she repeated. “It’s a very delicate situation involving other people. I refuse to force anyone to do something against her wishes.”

  I was relieved that she hadn’t denied Miao’s presence upstairs. “She can’t hide up there indefinitely, Miss Parchester. I understand you’re protecting her out of affection, and I applaud that. However, Ludmila was murdered one week ago today, and Miao may have seen something. If you won’t go upstairs, I will.”

  “Did I tell you that I adopted a kitten from the animal shelter? He’s too shy to come out when visitors are here, the poor little thing. He hasn’t told me his name yet, so I just call him kitty. Puddy thinks I ought to give him a name—”

  “One of us is going upstairs in the next five seconds. Miao might be less alarmed if you tell her that I’m here. We have to do this. Jiang’s been following me all over town, and he suspects she’s here. She’d rather talk to me than him.”

  Miss Parchester sat down and put her palm on her chest. “I feel a little flutter. I’m at an age when…” She saw me shaking my head. “Why don’t you put out water glasses, too? We can save the tea for dessert.”

  I held out my hand to help her up. I did as she’d asked while I listened to her footsteps on the staircase. Almost five minutes later, I heard her footsteps coming down. I braced myself to hear that Miao had escaped out the window or been eaten by cats. When they both came into the kitchen, I noticed that Miao was shoeless. She gave me a terrified glance as she slid into a chair and lowered her head.

  Miss Parchester and I began to eat, but Miao didn’t move. I had to remind myself I was forcing myself on her for her own good. Mine, too, but that wasn’t the point. After I’d finished the sandwich, I leaned toward Miao and softly said, “You have to tell me what happened, Miao. No one is angry at you. We’re all very worried about you. You cannot stay here forever. It will not solve the problem.”

  “No problem,” she whispered.

  Miss Parchester started to intervene, but I waved her back. “Yes, Miao, you know there is a bad problem. You saw something at the Literacy Council, didn’t you? Please tell me.”

  “I see nothing.”

  “You saw Gregory. He was there, and so was Ludmila.”

  “I not there. I go home on bus.”

  I turned to Miss Parchester. “Let’s have some tea. This is going to take a very long time.”

  I was right. Miao maintained her pathetic pose and answered in the fewest words possible. It took half an hour before she admitted she had been there when Gregory and Ludmila had exploded in each other’s faces. (“They angry.”) Another ten minutes to admit she was frightened. (“I frightful.”) My cheeks began to ache from smiling sympathetically, and my head to throb as I scrambled to find the most effective words. Miss Parchester’s chin had dropped to her chest, and she was snoring in a ladylike fashion. I gestured for Miao to follow me into the living room, if only to stretch my muscles. My bladder called for an intermission, but I didn’t trust Miao enough to leave her alone.

  I noticed she was glancing at the kitchen doorway. “Miao, are you concerned about Miss Parchester?” She nodded. “Is it her health?” She shook her head. I sat back and thought. An unsavory idea came to mind. “Did someone say he would hurt her if you told anyone what you saw?”

  “I saw nothing.” Her voice was a fraction louder, and tears filled her eyes. “I saw nothing.”

  “So after whatever happened, you came here to protect her? That is a brave thing to do, Miao. The police can protect her, too.”

  “No can do that. Police go away. Miss Parchester is alone. I stay here.”

  It took an effort to interpret this as progress, but I was desperate, and I didn’t want to order out for dinner. Or for breakfast. Her lack of English was not the problem; her reticence was. I felt as though I knew the reason. I took a drink of water and studied her face. The stereotypical characterization of “inscrutable” was merited in this case. As painful as this is to confess, I realized I was making a whopping big mistake. I was treating Miao as though she were a porcelain doll of limited intelligence. She was working on a graduate degree in mathematics, not a degree for dummies.

  “Listen, Miao,” I said in a quiet but forceful tone, “you are not a child. You are not helpless. I can help you, but you have to help yourself—and Miss Parchester. Did you tell her what you saw?”

  “I tell nobody.” She gave me a defiant look. “I no tell you.”

  “Yes, you will. Will you stay in this house for a week? A month? A year or more? The police do not forget about murders. What about your degree? Do you want your adviser to scratch you off his list?” I demonstrated on the cover of a magazine.

  “I no tell you.”

  “Then answer this. You told me you were frightened. Is this because Gregory was yelling and shouting?” She nodded faintly. “Jiang said that Gregory has acted badly to you. Did you hide from him?”

  Her lips twitched. “In lady room. Ludmila hide also. We make shush-shush.” She put her finger to her lips and blew. “Shush-shush.”

  “How long did you stay there?”

  She shrugged. “Long time. Ludmila … frightful he make her go. Dark outside.”

  I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid it would startle her into eternal silence. “You and Ludmila hid in the ladies’ room. Everyone else but Gregory was gone?”

  “I not know. I no hear in lady room.”

  Now the million-dollar question. “What happened when you and Ludmila left the ladies’ room?”

  Her chin shot out. “I no tell you. I no tell anyone. Please to leave now.”

  “The police will protect you and Miss Parchester,” I said with all the earnestness I could muster. “I promise you. My husband is a very important policeman. I will tell him to take very good care of you.”

  She stared at the wall, once again inscrutable. I stood up and went into the kitchen to shake Miss Parchester’s shoulder. “You might be more comfortable on the sofa. Miao has terminated the conversation. For such a fragile girl, she can be awfully stubborn.”

  Miss Parchester’s eyes remained closed as she said, “Papa would say she was worse than a mule on a blazing August afternoon.”

  * * *

  I was increasingly confident that my theory was correct. Of course, I had only the reluctant testimony of a woman who would keep her mouth shut until blood squirted out of boulders and snowflakes were identical. Even if Peter found a Chinese interpreter, Miao wouldn’t cooperate. Whoever had threatened her into remaining mute had also threatened to harm Miss Parchester, and possibly Luo, Jiang, and herself. If he was arrested, he had nasty friends. She could never go to class or ride the bus to the Literacy Council. I wondered how long it had taken him to make her understand. I realized why Luo had gone to the Literacy Council the next morning: Miao wanted someone to find Ludmila, who might still be alive. I was so proud of my deductive prowess that I nearly backed into the black car parked behind mine. It was a shiny new model of some pricey line. Despite Peter’s pleas to upgrade, I drove an ancient hatchback. I looked in the rearview window and saw Hamdan behind the wheel, smirking.

  “I warned you,” I said aloud. I put my car in reverse, pressed my foot on the gas pedal, and plowed into his hood with a satisfactory thwack. Glass clinked on the pavement. The broken headlight gave the police a legitimate excuse to pull him over. I put my hand out the window and fluttered my fingers in farewell, then drove home all by myself, enjoying every mile of it.

  * * *

  Caron was swinging on the front porch when I arrived. I sat down beside her and said, “No lake this afternoon?”

/>   “Joel’s coming to pick me up in half an hour. We’re going to the matinee at the mall and probably eat in the food court. My life once again has meaning.”

  “I don’t know how you survived ten whole days of wretchedness and despair. Did you have fun last night?”

  She turned to look at a hawk circling above. “Yes, we had fun.”

  My hand instinctively went to my mouth. I took several deep breaths while I frantically tried to recall everything I’d read about significant conversations with one’s daughter. My mind was blank. My maternal veneer of wisdom shattered into tiny shards. “Does that … that mean that you and Joel…?”

  “No, Mother. His father took all these hilarious videos at the family reunion, babies pooping on their daddies’ laps, a toddler who belly-flopped in a gelatin salad, stuff like that.” She touched my shoulder for a brief second. “I’m nearly eighteen and am leaving for college in a year.”

  “I know,” I said, feeling inept, “but I’ll still worry about you—and Inez, too. She seems so ingenuous about…”

  Caron snorted. “Maybe last week. She may have spent a lot of time on the sidelines, but I can assure you she was taking meticulous notes. She’s got more dates lined up than the Julian calendar. None of them are with Toby, though. She says he’s a troglodyte.”

  “Good for her.” I glanced up at the hawk, which was still trolling for a succulent snack. All a dedicated predator needs is a momentary opportunity, I thought sadly.

  My daughter was more grounded. “I saw you were gone when I finished my session with Yelena. I was going to let you take Inez and me out to lunch. Did Keiko fire you?”

  “Peter asked me to resign, and I did. Do you know about the Chinese girl who disappeared last week after the murder?”

  “Miao? I heard she went back to China. Did she kill Ludmila? I don’t see how someone so petite could budge that Polish mountain. She sure couldn’t drag the body into a corner with heavy equipment.”