Murder at the Polo Club

by Dianne Harman

  “How’s that bootie-wearin’ dog of yours?” Lucy asked.

  “Duke’s fine, although he still won’t go into the desert without his booties. Did you ever get a dog? I know you were talking about it.”

  “Land sakes. It has been awhile since we jawed. Yeah, we got a little black puppy. Not real sure what gene pool he comes from. Got him at the county rescue shelter. Cutest little thing you’ve ever seen. Swore we wouldn’t let him up on the furniture. Lady at the shelter said that dogs respect authority and rules. My ol’ man didn’t pay much attention to that, and first thing I know, he’s got that pup in bed with him, and they’re both sawin’ wood. Now the pup, we named him Herman, don’t ask me why, thinks all the furniture is fair game, and we ain’t got the chops to tell him he’s not allowed to get on it.”

  “I’ll have to pay you a visit. I’d love to see him. Think he’s going to be a big dog or a little dog?”

  “Well, let me put it this way. If he grows to the size of his paws, the ol’ man and me is both gonna have to get us second jobs jes’ to feed him, but man, is he ever cute. And them puppy kisses. Well, it’s a good thing we ain’t never had kids, cuz if the way we’re raisin’ Herman is any indication, he’s gonna be the most spoiled dog in the desert.”

  “Lucy, to change the subject. When do you think you can get these photos developed? I’m under a real tight time line with this appraisal, and I sure would appreciate it if you could do it sooner rather than later.”

  “No prob. I’ll have them for you by five today. By the way, found this in my daily quote book. Sure says how I feel ‘bout that cute little Herman. Here ‘tis, ‘There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.’ Leastways that’s what I think.”

  “You just may have something there. I’ll swing by on my way home tonight and pick up the photos. You’ll enjoy them. Some of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever seen. See you this afternoon.”

  *****

  After she left the Hi-Lo Drugstore, Marty drove to the polo club and Jack’s house. When she entered the lane that led to the house and grounds she saw four florist vans parked near the security guard shack. She waited behind them as each one took two or three large floral arrangements out of the back of their van and put them on a golf cart. She watched the driver of the cart drive up the lane to Jack’s house.

  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Pia’s death has probably been on the news, and since he’s a VIP in Palm Springs, it makes sense people would send floral arrangements. Poor guy.

  She knocked on the door of the big house and was greeted by Lupe. “Please come in. Mr. Rutledge is in the library.”

  “How is he doing?” Marty asked.

  “Jensen was able to get him to take a sleeping pill, so I believe he had some sleep. He’s just so terribly sad. I’ve been working for him ever since he came to Palm Springs, and I’ve never seen him like this. I wish there was something I could do.” As they walked down the hall, every room Marty passed was filled with floral arrangements. Lupe opened the door of the library and said, “Mr. Rutledge, Mrs. Combs is here.”

  “Marty, come in, please. I had Lupe bring all of the art pottery pieces to the library. I thought it would make it easier for you. Here’s the appraisal that was done before. Is there anything else you need from me?”

  “No. I was going to have you walk me through them, but this looks pretty thorough. I’m curious where you’re going to put the art glass collection. I made a mental note that you should secure the pieces with the sticky putty that museums use.”

  “I don’t know. Right now it’s too painful for me to look at the pieces. Lupe boxed them up. They’re in Pia’s suite. I know I’ll have to do something with them, but I’m not ready to yet. It’s really all I have left of her. By the way, I do have some of that putty, because I use it to secure my art pottery pieces.”

  “Jack, I wish there was something I could do to ease your pain. I know it sounds trite, but the passing of time will help.”

  “Thanks, Marty, but that’s a pretty hard concept to wrap my head around right now. I just want to get through the next few days. The last two months have been the happiest of my life, and now with Pia gone I’m looking at a very bleak future. I really can’t even think straight right now. I need to make some phone calls. Let Taffy know when you’re ready for lunch. I’d join you, but the mere thought of food makes me sick right now.”

  “Thank you, Jack, and I’ll try to do this as fast as I can. I’m sure you’d like to be alone.”

  “Not necessarily. Right now it’s probably better for me to keep busy. Let me know before you leave.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Marty spent the morning looking at one exquisite art pottery piece after another. Each one was a collector’s dream. Rookwood, George Ohr, Heino, Voulkos, Otto Nazler, Beatrice Wood, Fulper, Van Briggle and others fought for her attention. She found it hard to believe that a collection like Jack’s existed in a private individual’s home. She hoped he’d installed a very good security system. Art theft was not unusual and between the art glass collection and the art pottery collection, the home of Jack Rutledge would certainly be a tempting target.

  She looked at her watch and realized it was already one in the afternoon. She’d been appraising for enough years to know when she needed to take a break. She was starting to lose the laser-like focus she needed to be effective. Marty walked down the hall to the kitchen and knocked on the door. Taffy opened it and said, “Mrs. Combs, I’ve been expecting you. Lupe said you’d be eating lunch here. One of Mr. Rutledge’s favorite dishes is a lasagna that’s made the night before. I made one late yesterday before the tragedy involving Ms. Marshall happened. He told me he’s not hungry, so I hope you’ll have some. I made a light salad to go along with it as well as some garlic bread. I’ll have the lasagna on the table in five minutes, but the salad is ready right now.”

  “That sounds wonderful, Taffy. Thank you. How are you doing with everything that’s happened around here?”

  “I’m fine. I just feel really sorry for Mr. Rutledge. He’s been so happy lately. Anyone could see how much in love he was with Mrs. Marshall. I don’t know what will happen to him now.” It sounded like she muttered something under her breath, but Marty couldn’t make out what she said.

  “I’m sorry, I thought you said something else, but I didn’t pick it up.”

  Taffy put a spinach salad on the table and said, “I don’t think everyone was quite as sorry as Mr. Rutledge that Mrs. Marshall won’t be around anymore.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Marty asked as she sat down and put her napkin in her lap. She took a bite of her spinach salad and said, “This is wonderful, Taffy. One of the men who lives in the compound where I live is a chef. He’s the one who did the catering last night, I think he’d love to have the recipe for this salad. Is there any chance I could have it?”

  “Certainly. I’ll run off a copy for you. Sometimes with the desert heat, there’s nothing like a good salad.”

  “Thanks. Taffy, you didn’t answer my question by what you meant when you said not everyone would be as sorry as Mr. Rutledge was that Mrs. Marshall wouldn’t be around anymore.”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.”

  “Taffy, I can’t. A woman has been murdered, and my husband is in charge of the criminal investigation of the case. If you know anything, please tell me.”

  Taffy took a deep breath and said, “All of us who work here for Mr. Rutledge were so glad to see him happy, with the exception of Lupe. I think if you talk to anyone at the polo club, they’d agree with me that she’s in love with Mr. Rutledge. I saw the looks she gave Mrs. Marshall when she didn’t think anyone was looking, and they weren’t very nice. I think she’s happy Mrs. Marshall is gone.”

  Marty’s hand, which was holding a piece of garlic bread stopped in mid-air, halfway to her mouth, as she asked incredulously, “Are you saying you think Lupe could have murdered Mrs
. Marshall because she’s in love with Jack Rutledge?”

  “No, I would never say anything like that. I’m just saying that I don’t think Lupe will be very sorry that Mr. Rutledge won’t be marrying Mrs. Marshall. She’s changed in the last few months. She’s told me she gets really bad headaches. I wonder if she has some medical problem.”

  Marty finished her lunch digesting not only the food but what Taffy had just told her. She had a hard time equating the soft spoken small Mexican woman with murder, but she knew it was definitely something Jeff needed to know.

  *****

  Refreshed from her lunch break, Marty went back to the library to continue her appraisal of Jack’s art pottery collection. Whenever she was appraising, she tried to block out extraneous sounds, so she could give her full attention to the appraisal. She was vaguely aware of the doorbell ringing and didn’t pay much attention to it other than thinking it was interrupting her ability to fully concentrate on what she was doing.

  She walked over to the library door intending to close it and heard a woman’s voice telling Lupe she was Pia’s sister, and she wanted to speak with Jack. Marty stopped when she got to the door and listened, curious as to what Pia’s sister would have to say to him. In a moment she heard Gerta say, “I’m Pia’s sister, Gerta Martelli. I heard the horrible news about Pia on the news this morning. I can’t believe it. Can you tell me anything about what happened?”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Gerta,” Jack said, “although I would rather it wasn’t under these circumstances. I was looking forward to meeting you at the cocktail party last night, but we must have missed each other. Please, come into my office.”

  A moment later she heard Gerta say, “I was at the party, but I left early. I thought I might have a touch of food poisoning. When you’re traveling, you often have to eat whatever’s available, and the sandwich I had at lunch was not the best. Anyway, I’m sorry for both of our losses. My sister and I had become quite close in the last few years. I’m going to miss her terribly.”

  “So am I,” Jack said softly. “Pia was a wonderful woman. I simply don’t understand why anyone would want to murder her. It makes no sense.”

  “I agree, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her ex-husband. I heard he was released from prison a few weeks ago. I’m sure the people investigating the murder have already talked to him.”

  Jack was quiet for a moment and then said, “Gerta, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I knew Pia had been married and that it wasn’t a happy marriage, but I didn’t know her ex-husband was in prison.”

  “I’m not surprised. It wasn’t something she was very proud of. The family knew what a loser he was, and that’s why none of us had anything to do with her for a long time.”

  “What was he in prison for?” Jack asked.

  “He was convicted of selling drugs. I still can’t believe Pia didn’t know anything about it while they were married, but I have to give her credit for divorcing him after she learned that’s where he’d gotten his money before and during their marriage.”

  “I don’t think the detective who’s in charge of the case knows anything about this. What was her ex-husband’s name?”

  “Frank Marshall. You probably better tell him Frank was and still is no good. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear he was responsible for her death. You know, she and I were very close. When our mother died, Pia inherited the art glass collection, and I inherited my mother’s home. Pia always told me that if something ever happened to her, she wanted me to have the collection, so it would stay in the family. Knowing her wishes, I rented a U-Haul truck this morning, and I’ve come to take the art glass collection back to New Jersey with me.”

  That sure doesn’t fit with the conversation I heard between Gerta and Pia last night. What’s going on? Marty thought, now very curious as to where this was going to lead.

  “I think you’re mistaken, Gerta,” Jack said. “Pia and I made a mutual decision that if something happened to one of us the other one would inherit everything. It’s true that I had substantially more than she did, but I didn’t want my wealth to be a barrier between us. It seemed simpler that way. We signed our trusts yesterday. According to the terms of the trust, the art glass collection is now mine. I’ll treasure it, because it’s really the only thing I have of Pia’s. I’m sorry if there’s been a misunderstanding.”

  “You can’t really expect me to believe Pia would leave the collection to you?” Gerta said raising her voice. “This was a collection my parents treasured and spent many years assembling, not to mention the large amount of money they invested in it. No, the collection is rightfully mine. I demand you let me take it. I’ve brought boxes and packing materials with me. Just show me where the pieces are, and I’ll start boxing them up.”

  “Gerta, the collection stays here,” Jack said in a firm voice. “I’m honoring your sister’s wishes by keeping the collection. I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”

  “How dare you? I’ll have my attorney sue you for everything you’re worth. You have no legal claim to that collection. It rightfully belongs to me now that Pia is gone.”

  “No,” Jack said harshly. “It’s mine. If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to press this button on my desk and two of my security men will escort you from this room and off the property. I would strongly suggest you leave before that becomes necessary.”

  The next sound Marty heard was the sound of the front door slamming. She assumed it had been slammed by Gerta on her way out of the Polo House. Marty walked out of the library and into Jack’s office. He was looking out the window and appeared to be very shaken by his exchange with Gerta.

  “Jack, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with Gerta. Pia introduced me to her last night, and she was very angry that Pia wouldn’t give her the collection, since she didn’t think it was fair that Pia had the collection and was also marrying a wealthy man.”

  “I don’t need this right now, Marty,” he said. “It’s all I can do to hold it together, and now if Pia’s sister presents problems that may just put me over the edge.” He looked at his watch and said, “Good, I hear the doorbell. That must be Father Lawrence. I’ve decided to bury Pia here on the grounds. I can’t deal with some big spectacle type of funeral, and Father Lawrence is going to be with me tomorrow when I bury her. The only other person who will be attending her funeral, if you want to call it that, is my son, Jensen. By the way, I’m meeting your husband in an hour.”

  “I assume you’re going to tell him about Pia’s ex-husband. I’m sure that’s something he’d want to know about and want to follow up on.”

  “I will. We’re meeting to go over the guest list. The security guard who was in charge of admitting people last night and my administrative assistant, Nicky, are meeting with us as well. Hopefully, the list will provide some information about who might have killed Pia.”

  “Jack, you’re in very good hands with Jeff. There’s not a more capable detective on the police force. He worked all night, and right now he’s at home trying to get a couple of hours of sleep. If I can help, let me know.”

  “Actually, I think you can. I had a call from Dick at the insurance company this morning confirming that the binder was in place, and the art glass was insured. He said my personal property here in the Polo House was insured, but he didn’t think an appraisal had ever been on done it. When I mentioned that the house was pretty much decorated in authentic Arts and Crafts furniture such as Stickley and Mission furniture as well as a number of period decorative items, he became concerned that I was very underinsured. He suggested since you were already here you might as well prepare an appraisal for the furniture and the rest of the decorative items.”

  “I’d be happy to do the appraisal. Believe me, I’ve noticed the quality of what you have. I just assumed that an appraisal had already been done,” Marty said.

  “You might as well come back and continue with your work until it’s all finished.
You seem to know what you’re doing, so just go from room to room and do what’s necessary. As long as you’re doing the collections, it makes sense to finish up the rest of the things in the house.”

  “If you’re comfortable with me being here during this difficult time, I’d be happy to do it, but I certainly would understand if you wanted to put it off for a few weeks.”

  “No, let’s get it over with. It will be one less thing I have to think about. If you need anything, ask Lupe. I’ll be with Father Lawrence and your husband. Jensen is coming here again tonight. He’s really been a big help to me. He’s pretty much handling everything right now, and with the polo season coming up in a few months, there’s so much to do. The time leading up to the season is actually our busiest time. Once the season starts, everything’s pretty much on cruise control. I’ll see you later,” he said as he walked out of the room.

  CHAPTER 16

  Marty finished her appraisal of Jack’s art pottery late that afternoon. As she walked to the front door, she heard Jeff’s voice coming from Jack’s study and at the same time saw his unmarked police car parked in the driveway.

  That’s a long meeting. Hope Jeff’s able to find something out.

  She was about halfway home when her phone rang. She pressed the Bluetooth button and saw that the caller was Jeff. “Good afternoon, my love. How did the meeting with Jack go?”

  “It went well. I need to go to the station and make some calls. Between Jack and the security gate guard we have a couple of leads. I’ll tell you all about it tonight. I should be there in about an hour. Tell John if I’m late to start without me.”