4 A Dead Mother

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “Leaving all that jewelry behind might make sense if the intruder was searching for a specific piece. Maybe the person who killed Beverly had given her a bauble and wanted it back, so it couldn’t be traced to the place of purchase or to the purchaser,” Kim added.

  “If a piece that special to Beverly has gone missing, Leslie’s likely to notice. In a way, stealing it runs the risk of calling more attention to it than leaving it in her jewelry box,” I said.

  “Given the timing, it’s like advertising that you knew Beverly was dead.”

  “Or maybe even had something to do with it since news of her death hadn’t been released to the public at the time of the burglary.”

  “Excellent points, both of you. My head is spinning. One step at a time, I guess. Leslie’s walk-through is next. I’m sure she’ll note any jewelry that’s missing. I’ll also ask her about a key or some other small item that Beverly might have kept in her jewelry box.” I made a note on my cell phone.

  “It would be great to get more closure on one of the crimes committed yesterday,” Jerry added. “Maybe what you and Leslie find out at the house will provide a clue about what went on at Desert Park Preserve.”

  “Ruth drove me by the site where the police discovered Beverly’s body. We didn’t stop since it was dark, and the police still had it cordoned off. It was up the hill, away from Desert Park Preserve where you eventually end up at a dead end near the gate to a country club. There wasn’t any traffic. Efforts have been made to shield the road from view for residents, so it’s unlikely anyone in the houses along the road would have seen anyone on foot or getting out of a car.”

  “Maybe a surveillance camera at or near the entrance into the country club caught the car on camera,” Jerry commented as he wrote something in his little notebook. “I’ll have Tommy call and ask the guards at the gate about that.”

  “That’s a great idea. If they do have camera footage, the police might have to take the lead in getting a look at it unless you can use your powers of persuasion to work a little magic,” I said.

  “The area under surveillance is a public one. I’ll appeal to their civic-mindedness since what’s on that footage could play a role in finding out what happened to a senior citizen who did a lot for the local community.”

  “I have confidence in your powers of persuasion, Jerry. Go for it!” I realized how badly I wanted answers about what had happened to Beverly. That desire was even stronger than the dread associated with the prospect of getting tangled up in another murder investigation.

  I handed Jerry and Kim the list of names I’d compiled after going through Beverly’s file. Could one of them really be a killer? My eyes went right to the first name on the list: Cedric Baumgartner.

  “I know I’ve promised to keep an open mind about all of this. What if Beverly was going to dump Cedric and he decided to do the dumping first? He could have called her under some pretense, picked her up, and tried to convince her not to do it. Then, when she said no, he killed her.”

  “If that’s the kind of a man he is, Jessica, why not retrieve a gift he’d given to the woman who’s thrown him over? That could explain the intrusion into Beverly’s house on the same day, too.”

  “Let’s find out what kind of a man he is,” Jerry announced.

  My mind wandered to the lonely stretch of road where the police had found Beverly’s body. What roads would we have to travel to find her killer? Lonely, or lonely and dangerous?

  15 Paint Wars

  “We have half an hour or so before the investigator from the Palm Desert Police Department gets here. Detective Hernandez promised to try to coordinate the investigation into the break-in with the one involving Beverly’s death. That would be a break for Leslie if she only needs to deal with one person. It’s no fun answering the same questions repeatedly. She’s already been quizzed by Officer Millstone and the first responders at the scene of her mother’s death. Let’s hope Hernandez can make that happen. I’d prefer to have a single point of contact.”

  “Before we do that, I should mention that I also spoke with Margaret Hawthorne this morning. She’s the woman who schedules the docents for their volunteer stints at Desert Park Preserve. I didn’t get anything much from her beyond corroboration that Beverly was healthy as far as she knew and had her ups and downs. That included an occasional disagreement with family or friends that upset her like anyone else—especially the hassles with her neighbors. She never said anything about threats or being afraid of anyone.” Kim shrugged.

  “What about Beverly’s role as a donor? Margaret Hawthorne would know all about that since she’s on the board, too,” I said.

  “Yes, I know, Ruth told me. Ms. Hawthorne confirmed that Beverly was a generous donor. Disagreements occurred among board members, but nothing she said hinted that anyone was antagonistic toward Beverly. In fact, everyone was excited about the projects that were still on the drawing board. Those projects would have been funded while she lived, too, with the bequests made upon her death intended to see that they were completed or sustained after she was gone. I haven’t had a chance to check out Desert Park Preserve Foundation’s finances, but Margaret Hawthorne’s sending me copies of the materials you wanted me to review.”

  “Okay, until you have a chance to review those documents, we’ll set aside any concern that Beverly’s death is related to the roles she played at Desert Park Preserve. That takes us back to the people at the center of the neighborhood disputes where there was open antagonism toward her. In addition to their names, I’ve included contact info if I had it on file here at the office. I want to start at the beginning and go through the litany of problems Beverly had with the HOA. That will also give us more context for the way in which Cedric Baumgartner came into Beverly’s life. We must have gone through a dozen rounds to get all the approvals before he intervened.”

  “I’ll read through the entire file if you want me to,” Kim offered.

  “You should do that in case I’ve missed something. What I’d like to do, now, is work through the list of key players I’ve made so you can run background checks. Let’s see if anything fishy comes up. Even if the police conclude Beverly’s death was no accident, I’m not sure how willing they’ll be to go back and investigate problems with her neighbors or the HOA. If we find something, we might at least create a little interest.”

  “From what you told us last night, Officer Millstone didn’t buy the notion that the problems in her gated community got her killed,” Jerry commented.

  “It is hard to believe that wrangling with neighbors can become a motive for murder. The trouble began almost immediately after Beverly purchased the property with a dispute about her color selections for the stucco and trim on her house. I’ve told you about the ARC already and the fact that Tanya Wilkins, the committee Chairwoman, got snippy about the newcomer wanting to set herself apart from her neighbors or some nonsensical objection like that, anyway.” I looked up to see that Jerry and Kim were both making notes.

  “We sort of figured that it was a rite of initiation or hazing, given the newcomer remark relayed back to Beverly from an insider on the committee. Ginny Green leaked that bit of gossip that didn’t get recorded in the meeting minutes. She’s a longstanding member of the committee who told Beverly not to take it personally. It wasn’t the first time that Tanya Wilkins had stalled committee decisions, throwing her weight around as the committee Chairwoman. The dispute dragged on for several weeks and got resolved when committee members took advantage of Tanya Wilkins’ absence one day to vote on the matter by forging a compromise of sorts. They voted to grant the variance so long as the neighbors on either side of Beverly’s home and those directly across from her, agreed to the color choice. By then, it sounds like the two committee members who had gone along with Tanya didn’t need much persuading. They just wanted to get it off their agenda rather than spend more hours rehashing it.”

  “Okay, Tanya Wilkins and Ginny Green. What about the other members of
that committee listed here—Cathy Walker, Tamara Parker, and Bob Thornton? Which two changed their votes in Tanya Wilkins’ absence?”

  “Cathy Walker and Tamara Parker. Bob Thornton was already onboard early on to grant the waiver,” I replied in response to Jerry’s query.

  “I take it they were involved in the process of reviewing later requests, too. Did the votes continue to break out along the same lines—two for, two against with Tanya Wilkins as the tie-breaker?” He asked.

  “Yes, for the most part. There were lots of documents returned with requests for more information about the proposed changes to the front of Beverly’s house. You wouldn’t believe how many times the plans for the courtyard were resubmitted to the ARC even before it got put to a vote. One of the prerogatives that Tanya Wilkins could invoke as Chairwoman of the committee was to return a request for further clarification.”

  “She must have been livid about that end-run around her to get the paint issue resolved,” Kim remarked.

  “The process certainly didn’t get any easier after that. I don’t know how much of what went on in that committee had to do with the extensive renovations Beverly had planned versus Tanya Wilkins’ antagonism toward her.”

  “We can ask,” Kim offered. “Ginny Green may be willing to say more about what went on now that her friend is dead.”

  “If this turns out to be murder, and the police don’t have a suspect right away, interviews will be the next order of business for us. The more we know about what went on behind the scenes, the better off we’ll be when it comes to determining how seriously to take the disputes. A big sticking point was whether Beverly could include a water feature in the redesign of her front courtyard—even though there already was a wall-mounted fountain of some kind out there. The controversy about her fountain was presented as a problem with water use. By then, Beverly was more skeptical about what was behind the shift from ‘paint wars’ to ‘water wars,’ as she referred to the ongoing conflict.”

  “Tommy can review the rules around penalties for water features being placed on community HOAs and residents at the time. Who oversaw compliance with those guidelines at Araby Oasis?”

  “Funny you should ask because that’s how Cedric Baumgartner got mixed up with Beverly. This skirmish in the ‘water wars’ eventually resulted in the Beverly’s design plans getting kicked up to the Executive Committee. The members of that committee were dealing with the local water authorities about water use rules being promulgated by the state. After making such a big deal about water in the ARC, Cedric’s group pretty much green-lighted Beverly’s proposed changes. I thought sanity had erupted since her plans also included upgrades to the pool and spa that reduced water use.” I paused as a series of recollections coalesced into a whole new picture.

  “As I recall, the momentum shifted once Cedric entered the picture. Beverly’s mood improved too. She also changed her hair and clothes, clues I missed that she was seeing someone. Maybe if I’d mentioned it, she would have been more open about what was going on with the new man in her life.”

  “Even if you had made more out of the change in her hair and clothes, what could you have done about it? You couldn’t very well intrude into her love life, could you? If she’d told you that she was dating this Baumgartner character, then what? She must have believed it was a good thing and would probably have convinced you of that, too. We’ll run the formal background checks. Bernadette and Tommy are probably already using their ‘small town’ networks to gather informal news about this guy since you brought him up last night.”

  “Bernadette’s heard this, but I should tell you both about a bombshell Mom dropped on us last night. At least, it could be a bombshell if my mother’s right and we’re dealing with the same man. Cedric Baumgartner the third formerly of Cannes, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach, no less.” I watched as both Kim and Jerry’s expressions changed from surprise to suspicion as I shared my mother’s version of Cedric Baumgartner’s past.

  “Wow, your mother gets around, doesn’t she?” Kim asked.

  “Oh, yes. Until last year, I would easily have given the prize to her as the family member who had mingled most with dirty rotten scoundrels. She even married one of them for a split second. Alas, that prize probably now goes to me. I certainly remained married to a member of la crème de la crud much longer than she did.”

  “Why not? High living lowlifes learn where to find people who can keep them in the lifestyle to which they aspire, or have grown accustomed,” Jerry added.

  “Mom says Daisy Guinness would have settled well with Cedric, but it’s easy for me to imagine a man like him living beyond his means and burning through any amount of money he got.”

  “Or blowing it on wild investment schemes. Maybe that investment group he recommended to Beverly isn’t his first venture into the world of private investment.”

  “Could be. Maybe that’s why he had to leave the Hamptons. See what you can dig up on him about that. Mom says, if you can locate her, Daisy Guinness won’t hold back when it comes to Cedric Baumgartner. I’ll question Leslie about any sudden interest on her mother’s part in private investment opportunities. It’s hard for me to imagine that she’d venture in that direction without discussing it with her accountant, David Madison, or me first. Calling David Madison is on my ‘to do’ list anyway. I’ll be sure to ask about her recent investments. So, let’s talk about the neighbors.”

  “Ruth said a neighbor who lived nearby had complained that Beverly’s dog was barking at all hours of the day and night. Sounds like it got pretty nasty,” Kim said.

  “Yes, yet another headache for Beverly soon after moving into her dream home. She had bought that lovely poodle as a companion right before she moved into the house, thrilled that it had so much room inside and out for the puppy. Anastasia is more like a little pony than a dog, isn’t she?” I asked, feeling my mood lift just imagining her running from one side of the backyard to the other.

  “The leader of the herd with Tommy and Brien galloping after her,” Jerry said.

  “I’m sorry I missed it,” Kim said, shaking her head and even smiling a sideways smile.

  “Anastasia loved it. I never knew a dog could smile,” Jerry said.

  “Neither did I,” I said. Then I giggled. “When I woke up this morning, I rolled over and found myself almost face-to-face with her. She was so excited when I got up. She did her ballerina dance again, ran around the room, and bounded on and off the bed. Smart, too. She let me know right away that she needed to go outside to use the facilities.” I felt a twinge of sadness at the thought that I’d have to return Anastasia to Leslie after Beverly’s funeral was held in a few days.

  “We couldn’t figure out the basis for the complaint about barking. All the construction crews moving in and out upset her at times, but Beverly kept her indoors most of the day. She swore the dog hardly ever barked when she let her out in the yard or walked her around the neighborhood.”

  “She was a perfect angel as long as Tommy and Brien didn’t get her riled up. Even then, she didn’t bark. Tommy loves the fact that she can dance,” Jerry added.

  “She could have stepped right out of a Disney cartoon. She’s high-spirited and big. That’s why Beverly enrolled her in obedience training. That must have worked given how well Anastasia responds to Tommy’s commands.” I shrugged. “Having been around the dog, it’s even more impossible to understand what provoked that complaint.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time a neighborhood crank went after a newcomer on the block. Or, maybe she had another reason to dislike Beverly Windsor and the dog-barking charge was just a way to get at her.”

  “It could be, but what? Was it enough to make her want to kill Beverly rather than just annoy her by siccing the HOA and city officials on her?”

  “It says here that her name is Marcia Garrett and she’s an actress,” Jerry said.

  “Yes. From what Beverly told me, she’s the resident hottie as well as an actress with stage a
nd movie credits to her name. I don’t know if that means she’s still actively pursuing her career or if she’s retired. You still have some connections in Hollywood, Jerry, so maybe you can find out more about her depending on what you discover in the public records. We should also speak with Gloria Cartwright. She’s a next-door neighbor who signed an affidavit saying that the dog didn’t bark. What I know at this point is that she calls herself a ‘golf-widow’ who’s married to an affable golf-obsessed man. She’s younger than Beverly and has dogs of her own. She and Beverly hit it off right away. Gloria Cartwright might have more background about Marcia Garrett and why she made such a fuss about Anastasia.”

  “What about the neighbor on the other side?” Kim asked.

  “That’s Barbara Stoddard. She’s a divorcee closer in age to Beverly, and one of the first neighbors to welcome her when she moved in. They got along well, too, as far as I can tell. Barbara was a lunch and shopping buddy like Gloria Cartwright. All three of them went out together often when Beverly was making decisions about redecorating the house as it was being renovated. Leslie once mentioned she sometimes tagged along and said she enjoyed it. I hate to make her suspicious of everyone in Beverly’s life, but that’s where we are at this point, isn’t it? I’ll ask Leslie if Beverly ever had a problem with either of them.”

  “Your notes say the neighbors on either side of Beverly Windsor had keys and so did Steve Landis, the GC. There was no point in giving them keys unless they also knew how to disarm and set the security alarm. Her neighbors could have let themselves into her house too.”

  “That’s true. If we get past background checks and to interviews, you can ask the neighbors when they last let themselves into the house, not that I think that’ll provoke a confession. Maybe they saw someone going or coming on Tuesday, including Steve Landis. What I’m not clear about is why he was in her house at all that day since I thought the interior renovations were finished. He must have an answer for that question. Before Beverly hired him, we ran a standard background check, made sure he was bonded and insured, and that his license as a contractor was up-to-date. As I recall, he had a couple of minor disputes with clients that had been resolved. He had good references and high ratings from his customers.”