GUNNED (21 page)

“You’ll have to come back in autumn. It’s truly beautiful then,” I said, as we crossed a covered bridge.

“It is all so very lovely now. Thank you for bringing me here. If we solve this case in time, I would love to bring Gerard to this place.”

We stopped a couple of times so Annie could pick up some gifts for her daughter and a few friends, and then we returned to Danbury, and this time luck was on our side.

Jerry Spiegel wasn’t nearly as good looking as his brother. He was almost bald, with a square head and pasty-colored skin. His lips were pressed tightly together in a thin line, giving him the look of someone who was perpetually annoyed. And maybe he was. Or maybe he was just mad that two strange women were ringing his bell.

He stood in the doorway in what looked like the white coats doctors wore over their clothes. No one had mentioned he was a doctor. Maybe he was a lab technician and had just returned home from his shift.

I explained who we were and that not only were we helping the police, but Jackie and Andrea as well—this last bit added in the hopes of garnering some points and gaining admittance to his home. I told him how we had been looking into his brother’s death and hoped to have an answer for his sister-in-law shortly so that she could get back to her life. I laid it on pretty heavy, but if he still had a thing for Jackie, he might be more willing to talk with us.

“You’ve caught me at a bad time,” Jerry Spiegel said. “I work at home, you see, and, well, I’m pretty busy right now. Could you come back later?”

Maybe he was a dentist with a practice in his home, though I didn’t see a sign anywhere advertising his services.

“Mr. Spiegel, we’re almost done with our investigation. You’re the last person on the list, and if you could spare us a moment, I just want to clear up a few things about your brother’s state of mind when he arrived, and if he said anything at all to you that might be important.”

“I already told everything to the police.”

“I understand that, and you have no obligation to speak with me, but I’m doing this more for Jackie and Andrea,” I explained again, counting on the hope that Jerry Spiegel still harbored feelings for Jackie after all these years.

I stood there trying to come up with another reason for the man to speak with us. He didn’t seem to be a very friendly sort. I was just about to turn to take my leave when his lips pursed tightly, then he heaved an exaggerated sigh and stepped aside allowing us to enter.

In the back of my mind I hoped to find out that Jerry was jealous of Sheldon all these years, that there had always been a rivalry between them that eventually led to the murder of one brother at the hands of the other. After all, he didn’t have the looks, he had lost Jackie to his brother, and his health, if Jackie’s story was correct, was obviously not the best. Maybe all of that contributed to a life-long secret hatred of Sheldon, so great that he finally lost control and shot his brother. But what precipitated it after all this time? Sheldon’s obsession with finding his biological child and the anguish it was causing Jackie may have been the trigger. I hoped I could find some answers from this man.

But none of that mattered at the moment. The second I stepped into the house and entered the living room through the tiny vestibule, I was confronted with a more terrifying horror than if the man had been an ax murderer with said weapon poised to strike at this very moment.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to Annie, pushing her in front and on into the living room ahead of me.

She gave me an odd look, as well she should. Sweat was forming on my forehead and my breathing came in gasps.

“Alex, are you okay? Is something wrong?”

We both heard a sound and turned to look at Jerry, who had just dead bolted the front door. Annie locked eyes with me and I could tell she wanted to run for it as much as I did. My panic had transferred to her.

We stepped further into the room and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and then opened them again, but it didn’t help. The room was still full of dolls. Every conceivable space was occupied by a doll. Not the cheap, made-in-China kind you can buy at every store. No, these were the old, creepy kind, with eyes that followed you. These were killer dolls; the ones that come alive when the lights go out. They were everywhere, and they were all looking directly at me.

Now here’s the thing. I’m petrified of dolls. And clowns. There is nothing creepier on the face of the earth than dolls and clowns. And this room, the room I was in with the locked door, and the odd man dressed in a doctor’s lab coat, was full of them. Hundreds of them ready to pounce the moment I turned my back.

“Lovely, aren’t they,” Jerry Spiegel said from behind me, causing me to gasp loudly. His warm breath was right on the back of my neck. Any second now the guy was going to taser me, I just knew it.

“Wh…wh…what are they doing here?” I finally squeaked out.

“They’re my life. Well, they have been for the last five years. I’m a doll doctor. People send me their precious babies from all over the country and I fix them. When you arrived I was just about to begin work on Delphine. Poor thing. She suffers from CCD and needs my undivided attention.”

“CCD?” Annie asked, then looked at me with wide eyes.

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry. CCD. Cracked composition disease. She was made before they started using hard plastic. She has these fine cracks. It’s called crazing, and I need to sand her down and then repaint her. It’s a very painstaking process and needs my complete concentration.”

“Oh. Uh-huh,” I said, staring at Jerry and his pursed lips, which were now curved into a freaky smile that was actually more disturbing than the dolls, if that was at all possible. There was nowhere else to look except at him or his precious babies. I was breaking out in a sweat.

“Is there somewhere else we could talk, maybe the kitchen?” Please God, just get me out of this room.

“Come into my work room while I prep Delphine. We can talk there.”

Annie grabbed onto my arm and whispered in my ear. “Alex, I do not like this. He is crazy, no?”

I nodded and mouthed,
just a few minutes more
, while I wiped sweat from my face with the sleeve of my shirt. We followed Jerry down the hall and into a room with a small table covered in a sheet that looked like a miniature hospital operating table. There was a rolling cart full of instruments and one of those bright lights they use at the dentist office. Was this guy for real? Were we on some TV show with a hidden camera?

Now here’s another thing. In all the conversations I’d had so far, not one person mentioned the dolls. I would have thought that Jackie might have said something like
the man plays with dolls
. Or Andrea. What about her? Hadn’t she mentioned something about her uncle being odd? Couldn’t she have finished that thought with the addition of a few more words, something on the order of,
don’t talk to him. He’s crazy
. But no.

And then there was my husband. My soon-to-be-ex-husband. Surely he had interviewed Jerry Spiegel here, in this house, and he knew Annie and I would eventually end up contacting the man. John was well aware of our not-so-secret investigation and yet he never mentioned the dolls even though he knew of my phobia. Oh, yes, John Van der Burg was toast.

“This is Delphine,” Jerry said, stopping me from further pursuing my musings of exactly how I would inflict unbearable pain upon my husband when I got home. “She came to me from a woman in Minnesota. Delphine was handed down to her from her great grandmother, who originally found Delphine in Poland. She has one of the worst cases of CCD I’ve ever seen, poor dear. Be still, Delphine, this won’t hurt. Now, how can I help you?” he said turning his attention to me.

I looked at Annie. She had her arms crossed and her head down. I couldn’t tell if she was trying not to scream or laugh.

I watched Jerry sand an area on the doll’s upper leg and then wipe away the residue with a cotton swab dipped in some solution.

“Your brother showed up out of the blue, is that correct?” I wanted to establish the fact that if Jerry killed Sheldon, it couldn’t have been pre-meditated, though I don’t know why I bothered. One look at this place and any lawyer would shoot for an insanity plea immediately.

“Yes, that’s right. He just knocked on my door with no notice and at a most inopportune time. Delphine had just arrived and I was anxious to start on her repairs.” Jerry resumed the sanding process again, gently moving the paper over the doll’s leg in an almost erotic way. Delphine was looking straight at me, ready to attack the minute I turned my back.

“Uh-huh. So, tell me what his mood was? Did he tell you why he was in town?”

“My brother and I didn’t talk much. We weren’t that close as children. Do you know who the Smothers Brothers were? Perhaps before your time, but they had a comedy routine. One brother was always saying that their mother liked the other brother better. That’s how it was with Sheldon and me. Mother always liked Sheldon better. It made it difficult to get close when one feels shunned in favor of another. But in truth, with the passing of time, I saw that Sheldon was a good man. He was a decent man and he had honor. I don’t know why things happen in life, and maybe it was because I felt I had to fight for every bit of attention, but I became more devious and manipulative. These traits did not serve me well in my relationships, and so as you see, I am alone. But Sheldon wanted to make amends. Jackie told him I wasn’t well. I have heart problems, you see, among other things, and so Sheldon showed up on my doorstep. It was a very Sheldon thing to do.”

“So you were happy to see him?” I asked.

“Happy? No, not particularly. I’m also a petty man and Sheldon had everything in life that I thought I should have had. My resentment of my brother has lasted all these years. He offered to help me out financially if I got too sick, and he said I could stay with them in North Carolina if I would like. I knew he didn’t want me there, but like I said, my brother was an honorable man. He was willing to put everything aside to help me no matter his true feelings. You see, there was an incident with Jackie. Just a few more minutes, Delphine. Jackie and I had a relationship way back. She of course went back to Sheldon. She really did love him. And in retrospect, I guess she was right. They’ve been together all these years. I’ve lived a rather solitary life, but now I have my dolls. They keep me busy and restoring them brings in some added income to my retirement. I was an analyst for many years, but with my declining health I chose to retire. Both Sheldon and I inherited some land. He still has his and I guess now it will go to Jackie, but I sold mine for a nice profit. It helps.”

“What did you think of your brother’s desire to find his biological child?” I asked, my head down, looking at my shoes. Anything was better than looking at the evil Delphine or the pursed, almost purple lips of Jerry.

“I wasn’t at all convinced he was correct, but he assured me tests were done. Andrea was a nice child and so like her mother that I couldn’t believe she wasn’t their real daughter. I admit I didn’t have much contact with her in years, but I always thought of them as the perfect family.” The sanding became agitated. “I let Sheldon stay here. I was surprised he wanted to. He could have well afforded a hotel, but he said it was time we buried the hatchet and made amends. I didn’t care one way or the other. I told him he could stay, just stay out of my way so I could do my work. There. Perfect. See, Delphine. It didn’t hurt at all.”

“I understand Jackie came to see you. Any chance you two could rekindle your relationship?” I felt certain Jackie had no desire to take up with Jerry, but I was interested to see where his thoughts stood on the subject of a possible romance.

Jerry waved a hand in a dismissive fashion. “Water under the bridge, as they say. And besides, for Jackie, well, she was lonely all those years ago. And for me, the only joy came from knowing I had taken something of Sheldon’s. It was never a love match. I have my work, and she has her life. She came by to collect Sheldon’s things and I have to admit that there was no feeling there at all.”

“Well, thank you for your time,” I said, and turned to leave. Annie was way ahead of me.

“There is one thing,” Jerry said, causing us to turn back. “It probably means nothing. Sheldon and I were having a coffee one night. The last night I saw him, as a matter of fact, so it must have been Monday. It was rather late. He was looking at the newspapers I had sitting on the end table and I was watching TV. I love
Jeopardy
and record it so I can view it later without all the commercials. And all of a sudden he said,
another lie. I should have known
. And then he went to bed.”

“That’s it? Did he say anything else? What lie? Did it have something to do with an answer on
Jeopardy
?”

Jerry shook his head. “I have no idea. That was it. I called after him, but he just went upstairs and was gone in the morning. I never saw him again.”

“He’s a strange one, no?” Annie said back in the car. “And he does not seem to have much feeling for his brother.”

“Yes, he is definitely different, and he certainly had a big chip on his shoulder where Sheldon was concerned,” I agreed.

Jerry Spiegel was an odd duck, to be sure, but at the same time, what was wrong with being odd? But did he have to restore dolls? Couldn’t he have taken up gardening? But I guess someone had to do it, though I wish they wouldn’t. Just let them rot and bury them for good. And, okay, he did talk to them, but I talked to my house plant and it seemed to thrive. I felt bad for thinking Jerry was crazy. Perhaps a nicer word was eccentric. And lonely.

“I think he’s just lonely. Sounds like he grew up feeling he was second best at everything, or worse still, not worth anything at all. So he talks to dolls,” I said with a shrug.

“Perhaps Sheldon insulted Delphine or made fun of Jerry and his dolls. Do you think that would be a reason to kill?” Annie asked.