Death in a Summer Colony (11 page)

“We are just beginning that conversation.” Jill looked at her watch. “Sheriff, here’s the tentative schedule for the rest of the afternoon. She pulled a folded piece of paper from her shoulder bag, opened it, and pushed it across the desk. “I can have Alyson Mickels, who serves as our concierge, meet you here at 3:00. And I have tentatively scheduled Pepper Markley at 3:3
0.”

“What is her position?”

“She wears a number of hats: personal trainer, pilot, and head of security. She drove Malcolm to the Assembly Hall last evening.”

“I have Elliott scheduled at 4:00. Please go easy on him. He’s very sensitive and has been completely shattered by these events.”

“Are there other people living or working at Gull House?”

“We have a housekeeper, a chef, and a caretaker.”

“I would like to talk with them also. Could you schedule that for tomorrow morning?”

“Well, they really don’t know anything. They are totally out of the loop, but if you insist. Is there anything else, Sheriff?”

“Thank you for your cooperation. I will undoubtedly need to talk with you again.”

Ray signaled the end of the interview by standing, and he and Sue remained silent until Jill exited, settled onto the seat of a golf cart, and rolled out of sight.

“The woman is without affect. Can’t make eye contact. Verity mentioned Asperger’s,” said Ray.

“Not possible.”

“Why?” asked Ray.

“Article in the Times last winter. Asperger’s is passé. Now it is spectrum disorder.”

“Think she’s a killer?”

“Don’t know. I wonder what’s hidden beneath that shell.”

22

R
ay looked across the table at Alyson Mickels. Her strong shoulders and arms extended from a black tank top, the stretchy material clinging to her toned body. The subtle pink of her lipgloss contrasted against the tight tan skin. Alyson’s long blonde hair was pulled into a French twist. She reached up with her left hand to push back a few errant strands.

“How long had you been employed by Mr. Wudbine?”

Mickels held Ray’s eyes steady in her gaze. After a few seconds delay, she responded, “It’s been about two years.”

“What did you do before that?” asked Ray.

“I was a commercial pilot.”

“And before that?”

“I was in the military, naval aviation. I graduated from Annapolis and thought I would make my career in the service. But I eventually grew beyond that. I needed some new challenges.”

“What was the path that brought you to work for Malcolm Wudbine?”

“Like I said, I had been working as a commercial pilot, and with the slowing of the economy I had been laid off. A friend from the Academy was a principal in an exclusive personal security firm in Chicago. He thought I had the right skill set for his business. The pay was good, and I learned the ins and outs of the profession. The other thing I learned very quickly was that you were mostly sitting around waiting for clients. So I spent a lot of time at a gym getting rid of my frustrations and working at staying fit. The gym owner noticed that I was in better shape than any of his personal trainers. He offered me a job, part-time at first, and guided specific clients in my direction. Malcolm Wudbine was one of those clients. It soon became clear to both of us that I had the right competencies to serve in a variety of roles in his personal and professional life. In addition to being a skilled personal trainer, I have commercial licenses in both fixed wing and rotary, and I can manage a security operation.

“I probably wouldn’t have picked this kind of work. It’s very intrusive on my personal life. However, Mr. Wudbine provided generous remuneration and benefits. I thought it was something I could do for a year or two.”

“Tell me about the security part, especially up here.”

“I did some one-on-one work for him as a bodyguard. I also worked as a liaison with the security firm that provided services to his offices, his apartment in the Loop, and their house in Kenilworth. When we came north, my job really was pilot and personal trainer. He didn’t feel he needed protection here. I did keep my eyes and ears open for any possible dangers. I did a security assessment of the colony and environs, including the actors and other people connected with the theater. Most of these people have known one another for decades. There were no apparent threats.”

“What were your other job responsibilities?”

“To be available at all times as a pilot, trainer, chauffeur, or companion. I usually accompanied him on trips to town and around the area. I think for him it had more to do with companionship than any security consideration. He liked being chauffeured, he liked having someone to talk to.”

“This perceived need for security, was it caused by any specific threats or…?”

“There were no specific threats. But as you know, Sheriff, there are a lot of people out there with anger toward corporate types and Wall Street. You never know when some crazy is going to pop up. Mr. Wudbine was a public personality, his many charitable activities attracted media attention. I think he was just showing proper caution.”

“So you told us that you dropped him off at the theater. What time was that?”

“He was running late. I think it was getting close to eight. We had flown to Traverse City to pick up Elliott. His plane was late, weather slowdown in Chicago. When we got back, I ran them up to the house from the heliport. As soon as we went in, the two of them disappeared into Mr. Wudbine’s library. Eventually, I drove Elliott to his cottage and came back for Mr. Wudbine and drove him to the Assembly Hall.”

“So what did you do then?” asked Sue.

“I parked the golf cart away from the building under a tree. I had a seat at the rear of the auditorium. I was planning to watch the play.”

“Were you alone?”

“No, Elliott had a seat next to mine. He arrived just before the curtain went up.”

“Continue.”

“Sometime after the opening curtain, it really started to pour. I slipped out and moved the golf cart down to the picnic shelter. After I toweled off the cart, I stayed put waiting for the rain to let up. Elliott called as I was checking my e-mail. He said his father had been killed. I picked him up at the stage door, Jill and Pepper also, and brought them back to Gull House.”

“What did you do then?”

“I stayed with the family. And soon after you appeared, I excused myself. Can I ask a question?”

“Please,” said Ray.

“How was Malcolm killed? Elliott said something about him being stabbed.”

“I’ll know more when I get the autopsy results, but that’s essentially correct. You seem to be extremely aware of what was going on in Mr. Wudbine’s world. Was there anyone who had a motive to kill him, anyone in his professional life, his personal life, or his family?”

“Sheriff, I’ve thought about that a lot. I didn’t sleep much last night, and I’ve been consumed by that question all day. The answer is no.” She paused, brushing aside loose hairs again, and continued, “However, this clearly wasn’t a random act. Sheriff, my primary job here was to look after Mr. Wudbine’s personal security. Obviously, I failed. Yet, I don’t think I could have done anything differently. He was the employer, he dictated the terms of the security envelope I provided for him. When he was in the colony, he often wanted to be solo. That was especially true with rehearsals. I wish I had more for you, but I don’t.”

“I’ll probably need to talk to you again. What are your immediate plans?”

“Jill Wudbine has asked me to continue in their employment for at least the next month. I will be staying in the area as long as she is here.”

“You were awfully quiet,” said Ray to Sue as they watched Alyson Mickels march up the sand trail.

“Sometimes I just want to observe. It’s hard for me to watch for nuances if I’m concentrating on forming questions.”

“So what did you see?”

“Mickels checked you out. I won’t say she undressed you—sorry, no such luck boss, but she did take in everything. Then she looked me over carefully. I was quickly surveyed. You were carefully examined. I was amazed by the way Mickels mapped the room, her so-called ‘environmental scan.’ I’ve never seen such discipline and focus. She was listening to your questions and always took a few seconds after each one to formulate her response. And before her words were out of her mouth, she was anticipating your next question. I suspect, and I’m using her parlance here, she was doing a ‘threat analysis.’”

“So you think she’s involved?” asked Ray.

“I didn’t say that. But she certainly wants to know where she’s going to end up in this whole affair. At a minimum, she hopes that she’s not going to be pulled into anything that will tarnish her reputation or damage her employability.”

“And at a maximum?”

“I’m not ready to speculate on that. She could have delivered the fatal thrust to Wudbine with a dull teaspoon. Mickels is a trained killer who knows we are going to be giving her a close look, so she’s carefully weighing her options. She wants to come out of this unscathed.” Sue looked at her watch. “I know you like to have a second set of ears, but I’ve got some things that need to be done.”

“Fine, what are you up to?”

“I want to see if I can lift any fingerprints from the main shutoff switch. There are also backstage areas I want to look at again. We focused on the trash because it was going away. Now I want to attend to other areas I skipped over like the carpentry shop, lots of old tools tossed in boxes and drawers in no order. Then there’s the kitchen area with a variety of sharp things. And using the playbill and the other names we’ve collected so far, I’ll start checking for priors or outstanding warrants and also see if Wudbine was currently subject to any litigation. E-mail me the audio files of the next two interviews, and I’ll listen to them sometime this evening. When we meet tomorrow at 7:00, we’
ll be on the same page.”

“I didn’t say anything about meeting at 7:00.”

“You didn’t need to.”

23

T
he first thing Ray picked up on as Pepper Markley carefully settled in her chair was her perfume, subtle, not cloying, but distinct and impossible to miss.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Struggling. The initial shock, too little sleep, just trying to come to grips with the whole thing.”

“How long have you been with the Wudbines?” Ray looked at her closely. He guessed that Pepper was about thirty. She appeared exhausted, but also very wary. Her dress was preppy, her hair skillfully cut and shaped.

“This is the start of my third and was probably going to be my last year.”

“Last?”

“Working for Mr. Wudbine was a 24/7 arrangement. I am paid extremely well, multiples of what would be usual for this type of position, but I don’t have much of a life. It was about time to move on.”

“No vacations?”

“I was supposed to get a month each year, subject to Mr. Wudbine’s schedule. It never seemed to work out. Like this June, I was going to take several weeks of vacation, but ended up serving as an administrative assistant to Elliott Wudbine when he visited clients in Asia and Europe. The person who usually accompanies Elliott was very pregnant, so I was pressed into service. That was unusual, I’d never worked for Elliott before. Elliott was a lot less demanding than his father. Mr. Wudbine worked day and night, didn’t sleep much, and expected those who worked for him to be available at his beck and call.”

“And your job title?”

“My contract reads concierge. Let me explain. I became an intern at Wudbine Investments right out of graduate school. After six months I was offered a full-time position to continue doing all the things I was assigned during my internship. When it came to giving me a contract, the HR director didn’t know exactly what title my position should have. She had heard about some high-tech firms employing concierges and decided the term best described my work assignments.”

“So what do you do?”

“Anything and everything. My major task is looking after his calendar and each item connected with that—travel and lodging arrangements, restaurant reservations, tickets for cultural and sporting events, and scheduling the corporate jet. Mr. Wudbine often made it available to his political friends. There were related secretarial duties, also. And Mr. Wudbine demanded that his coffee be prepared in a specific way. I was a barista in college. I probably got this job because of the coffee.

Ray did his best to suppress a smile.

“And then there were the flowers. Mr. Wudbine wanted fresh-cut flowers in every room. Gull House and the home in Kenilworth have greenhouses and gardeners, so we produce some of the flowers we use. I also acquire additional stock from commercial sources. You might say I run a small florist operation.”

“Do you do things for other members of the household?”

“Mr. Wudbine worked very closely with his daughter-in-law, Jill. I primarily worked for the two of them, and also occasionally for Elliott.”

“How about Mr. Wudbine’s wife, Brenda?”

“During my tenure she hasn’t been around much. I don’t think I’m giving out any secrets to tell you that Brenda is a hopeless alcoholic, an embarrassment, really. I’m sure you noticed her condition last night. She’s either at Betty Ford or a health spa in Arizona, that’s were she spends most of the winter. Brenda also has a serious heart condition. The spa has special diets and exercise for heart patients.

“Brenda hates Chicago, she’s almost never there. She does like it up here. Shows up in the spring and stays until early September. I think it’s the only time the two of them are in residence together for an extended amount of time. When she’s up here, she takes over the flower arranging, something she did earlier in their marriage. I still look after the inventory and ordering.”

“Yesterday, please outline where you were from…let’s say midday until after the murder?”

“Like I was telling you, Mr. Wudbine worked seven days a week starting early in the morning and sometimes running into the evening. Yesterday was just another workday. He had several major projects going for the foundation, new initiatives for the fall. He had a long planning meeting with Jill in the morning. So I spent my morning with them. We had a working lunch. I spent the afternoon organizing the material we had developed during the morning. Then I went to the beach for about an hour, came back, showered, grabbed a quick dinner, and headed for the theater. I did a walking meditation, trying to get in the head of my character.”

“And how about Mr. Wudbine? Do you know what he did the rest of the afternoon.”

After lunch he’s usually in his gym working out under the guidance of Ms. Mickels. After the workout they usually go sailing for a while. I saw them coming in when I went to the beach. Then he planned to have Alyson fly him to Traverse City to meet Elliott’s plane.”

“Have you noticed anyone around in recent days with whom you were unfamiliar—at the house, the auditorium, or the colony?”

“No.” She paused for a long moment. “I mean, there are lots of people around, many I don’t recognize, but no one who seemed menacing or out of place.”

“Were you aware of any threats against Mr. Wudbine? He did have a security person here and the fairly elaborate system as well,” Ray observed.

“Everyone does that. There’s a lot of paranoia out there, not that Malcolm was particularly paranoid. And it may be sort of a status symbol, too. Mr. Wudbine liked showing off Alyson Mickels, she is a lot classier than any of the personal protection specialists in his circle. He was vain in that way. Don’t get me wrong, Sheriff, Mr. Wudbine was an absolutely wonderful man. And he was enormously generous with me and a real mentor. But we all have our things, don’t we?”

“So when did you arrive at the theater?”

“The curtain was at 8:00. I was there around 7:15. I was probably the first member of the cast to arrive. There was a cocktail party at Verity’s cottage. Most of the cast attended. They arrived at the theatre as a group. Running a bit late, I might add. There was a real scramble to get into costume and makeup. I’m so glad I was ahead of them. I needed time to settle in, if you know what I mean. I haven’t been in a play since high school, and that was only a bit part. This role is very challenging, and I was quite nervous.”

“When did Mr. Wudbine arrive?”

“He got there about 10 minutes before the opening curtain. He wanted my help dressing, but I was getting ready to go onstage. I had a major part in the first scene.”

“Walk me through what happened from the opening curtain until you knew something was very wrong.”

“Well, I was on
stage sitting at the dinner table. I was incredibly nervous. Then the curtain went up, and we were off. From that point it just seemed so natural. There wasn’t one muffed line, not one. I was feeling exalted when I got back to the green room. By that time Mr. Wudbine was in his costume. He had those horrible, bloody wounds and was capering around. To be truthful, I was a bit irritated with him. I wanted to be left alone. Fortunately, one of the crew led him onstage.”

“And then?”

“Things got very confused. I’ve thought back over it. There was that lightning and thunder. The building shook, the lights flickered. A little bit later they went out. I was sitting at a mirror checking my makeup when they went out. I just stayed put. Then the lights came back on. I was still at the mirror when I could tell something was wrong. I could hear it in the tone of people’s voices. And you know the rest of the story. Eventually we were allowed to leave.”

“Then what did you do?”

“I left with Jill. Elliott was waiting outside the stage door. And Alyson was just beyond the auditorium. We all went up to Gull House. Jill broke the news to Brenda and the others. We were all stunned, people talked quietly for a while.”

“And then?”

“Eventually I went back to my apartment, sometime after midnight. And this morning I showed up about nine to see if there was any way I could be of assistance to Jill or Elliott. I’m sorry, Sheriff, I don’t know more. I just can’t imagine why anyone would want to kill him. Like I said, he wasn’t perfect. But he did a lot more good than harm.”