Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace (10 page)

Chapter Eighteen

“So it’s a deal then,” Carol said. “Let us know what your fees are and I’ll write you a check right now.”

“No fee,” Chris said. “I told you I’m not a gumshoe. I’m a restaurateur. I’m not going to charge you anything.”

“Works for me,” Coral said. “What a deal!”

“Cheapskate,” Carol mumbled under her breath.

“You take that back, ya ol’ bat!” Coral gritted her teeth and jumped up, out of her chair.

Carol had finally managed to ruffle her sister’s feathers. “Simmer down and let’s take care of business. Do you have one of your business cards on you? Mine are in the car.”

Coral reached into the back pocket of her jeans and fished out a small wallet. She extracted a tattered card. Carol reached for it, and Coral pulled her hand back. “I can give it to him myself. Besides, I want a closer look at Mr. Bogey Man.”

“I want you ladies to remember one thing,” Chris said. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for my parents. I don’t want them moving into this house if some fish-eyed heavy is gonna be hanging around trying to find the moola.”

Carol squinted at Chris before turning to Judith. “Huh?”

“He said if some bad guy with cold, inhuman eyes breaks in, he doesn’t want his father and me here.” Judith looked to me for confirmation.

I nodded.

“Cold, inhuman eyes? Well, that’s pretty descriptive. He scared me and I’m here with a group of people.” Max was backing toward the door.

“Do you people mind? My young son is here, and I don’t want you scaring
him
.” Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Mikey was standing right behind Chris.
I
hadn’t.

“Let’s go talk outside,” Carol suggested. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like to take one last look around the old place. It makes me think of my mother.”

“
Our
mother,” Coral said, “and I’d like to look around, too.”

“Please, take your time. And if you see any keepsakes, feel free to take them with you. It appears that a lot of things were left behind.” Judith smiled at the two women.

I thought that was quite generous on Judith’s part, but I couldn’t help wondering if the twins would start taking things they hadn’t cared about after their mother’s death just to annoy each other.

“By the way, there are copies of some of her books in the basement,” Judith added.

“Oh, we have copies of all of her books.” Carol left the room and headed toward the stairs.

Coral stopped and glanced out the front window. “There’s a strange man sitting in his car across the street. He’s watching the house.” She waved her hand at us. “Anyone know who he is? He’s in an old beat up blue Chevy Blazer.”

I walked up behind her and peered out the window. There was a man in a baseball cap eyeballing the house, just like Coral said. While I was debating with myself about whether or not it might be the man who broke into Kimberly’s

house, he saw us standing at the window and started his car. By that time there were seven of us watching him. Carol was upstairs.

Chris headed out the front door with Big D behind him, and the man laid rubber on the street as he sped off. I could hear his tires squeal when he turned the nearest corner.

“Pamela, could you see his face?” Chris asked, walking back into the house.

“No. The bill of his hat shaded his face, but I’m pretty sure the baseball cap was the same color as the one I saw on the guy at Kimberly’s back door.”

“What’re you talking about?” Coral asked.

“Kimberly lived next door,” I explained. “She’s the young woman who was killed upstairs. Someone broke into her house and attacked a friend who was packing up Kimberly’s things.”

I glanced at Big D. He looked at the floor and shook his head, realizing that Chris was becoming involved in another case.

“Well, at least we can describe his car to the coppers.” Chris didn’t intend to leave Janet Murphy out of the loop, and I was glad to hear that.

There was a knock at the front door and Judith answered it. “Come on in,” she said, stepping back.

Mark Stanford walked in and took us all in with a sweeping glance. His eyes came to rest on Coral. “I thought that was you I saw walking across the street.”

She walked toward him and stopped almost toe to toe with him. She looked up into his eyes and stared. I couldn’t tell if she was glad to see him or not. Without saying a word she punched his arm and threw her arms around him. “You ol’ son-of-a-gun! It’s good to see you.”

Mark smiled and returned her hug before turning to us. “Coral used to babysit me when I was a kid. She always knew how to make me laugh.” He turned his gaze back to us again.

“Where’s Carol?”

“Right here,” she replied, coming down the stairs. She grinned from ear to ear when she reached him – and shoved her sister out of the way. “How’s my boy?”

“Not much of a boy anymore, but then you never did quit calling me your boy.”

They hugged and stepped apart.

“Carol used to bake me cookies. She always said she needed a taste-tester, and invited me in for a snack.” I could see by Mark’s expression that he was enjoying his memory.

“What are you doing here?” Coral asked. “You didn’t move back into that rat trap next door, did you?”

He grinned, not in the least offended, and obviously used to Coral. “Mom and dad left me the house. Things have been rough since my wife died and I got laid off so I moved back in.”

The twins turned to the rest of us. Carol smiled, and her face lit up. “Mark used to help us search for our mother’s hiding places. He was a little boy with a big imagination, and he found a few that were big enough for him to hide in. We’d pretend we didn’t know where he was, even though we knew about the closets he found, and we’d act like we were worried. Then I’d bring out a plate of cookies and sigh, saying I wished I knew where my taste-tester was. He couldn’t pass up a cookie.”

Coral looked like she was about to say something, but after looking at Mark her face softened and she bit her lip.

Carol, on the other hand, looked like she’d found a long lost relative. “We just hired the Bogey Man to find out what’s going on around here.”

Chris flinched. How could he investigate if Carol told everyone what he was doing?

“Oh? And what’s he going to investigate?” Mark had a troubled look on his face, but it passed so quickly that I thought I might have imagined it.

Coral finally spoke up. “Why, he’s going to look into who killed that poor girl. And maybe while he’s at it, he’ll find Mother’s treasure. Wouldn’t that be something when the rest of us could never figure it out?”

“I’ve got to head home, but why don’t you and Carol come by my house before you leave? We can talk about old times.” Mark placed his hand on Coral’s back while he spoke to her.

“I’d enjoy that,” Coral replied, “although I can’t speak for my sister.” It seemed like she almost snuggled under his touch a little.

Carol took hold of Mark’s hand. “I’d love to. I’d like to look through the house a little first, and then I’ll be over.”

Not to be left out, Coral said, “Me, too. It’ll only be a few minutes. This house brings back so many memories.”

“We already talked about memories,” Carol said, turning her back on her sister and heading back up the stairs.

Coral quickly followed her sister.

“Some things never change,” Mark said.

“So they’ve really been like this all their lives?” Judith asked.

“Yes, but don’t let it fool you. They’d bring out some pretty big guns if anyone ever tried to hurt one or the other sister.” Mark left and it was quiet for a minute.

With the sisters upstairs, and Mark gone, it was like the calm after a huge storm.

“Well!” Judith said. “And you all thought
I
was eccentric.”

Chris Sr. patted her back. “No one thinks you’re eccentric, Judy.”

“Oh, yes you do, and frankly, I like that label.” She left us and returned to the dining table to finish signing the papers.

Coral descended the stairs and joined us at the same time Judith handed the signed papers to Max, who said thank

you and beat a hasty retreat.

“Where’s Carol?” Judith asked.

“She’s upstairs in her old bedroom, crying.”

“Crying? About what?” Judith looked concerned. “Is she having second thoughts about selling the house?”

“No, she says being in this house makes her miss our mother.” Coral looked deeply into Judith’s eyes, and the older woman teared up. “You know, you’re never too old to miss your mother.”

Judith nodded, her own eyes glittering with moisture. “I know.”

Chris and his father left the room with Mikey following behind. Chris could deal with a lot of things, but not crying women.

Coral took a deep breath. “I remembered something. Maybe it’s a clue to Mother’s treasure. Not long before she passed on she sat down and told me that if anyone wanted to find her fortune, they’d have to ‘read about it’. Those were her words. Maybe there’s a clue in one of her books. I asked her if she’d left a note in one of the books, but she just laughed and told me to go read and let her rest.”

Chapter Nineteen

Glancing at my watch, I realized it was getting late. “Chris,” I called, “we’ve got to get moving. I need to take care of a few things before we leave for work.”

“I think we’re going to stay a bit longer,” Judith said. “Your friend… What’d you call him? Big D? Anyway, he’s going to talk to us about what needs to be done and what he’d charge.”

I heard a soft thumping sound and turned in time to see Chris Sr. knocking on one of the walls. Stepping back, he studied the paneling on that particular side of the room.

“You know, it’s in the contract that when we buy this house, we also buy everything in it, and I do mean everything. If there is a treasure, it’s ours.” He went back to thumping.

“You don’t think the twins would argue with that?” Chris asked.

“I consulted an attorney to make sure the wording would be iron clad,” Judith said.

“When did you do that?” Chris Sr. left the wall and joined us.

“While you were upstairs and Pamela and Chris were

outside. I made a quick call to Henry, back home, and he told me how to word it. Max handwrote it in the contract and we both initialed it. Actually, you initialed it, too. The twins gave him carte blanche because they told him they just want to unload the house.”

“That’s what I initialed? I guess I’d better start reading things more closely. But, honestly, Judy, you know if they wanted to fight us on this they could.” Chris Sr. turned and looked at the wall with longing in his eyes.

She looked at him, but she didn’t reply. I found it interesting that one by one everyone was becoming hooked on finding hiding places. I wondered if Marguerite had any idea about the can of worms she’d be opening when she had the renovations done to the house.

“Okay, we’ve got to get moving.” Chris headed for the front door. “Keep your eyes open in case the guy in the Blazer comes back.”

“Come on, Mikey.” I reached out to him and he took hold of my hand. It would break my heart when he decided he was too old to hold his mother’s hand.

“Why don’t you leave him here with us?” Judith asked. “Maybe the twins will come back and show us where some of the secret hiding places are.”

Mikey’s eyes lit up and he dropped my hand like a hot potato. “Could I, Mom?”

“It’s
may I
, and I’d rather you came home with us this time. I don’t like the idea of someone watching the house.”

Before Mikey could complain, Chris spoke up. “Your mother’s right, Ace. Besides, we’ll need help with the dogs. How about this? You come home with us, and Grandma and Grandpa can come pick you up at the restaurant later this evening. The three of you can have dinner. In the meantime, you can put on your good clothes with the suspenders and help us take care of the customers.”

Oh, Chris knew how to play our son. There wasn’t

much Mikey enjoyed more than the glitz and glamour of the restaurant. At least it seemed glitzy to a kid of seven.

Chris raised his eyebrows at his mother. “Is that jake with you, Ma?”

“Works for us, Junior. And quit calling me Ma.”

I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t laugh.

Chris and I discussed the twins during the drive home. “They’re kinda spooky,” Chris said. “I’ve never seen grown women act that way toward each other.”

I chuckled. “You’ve led a sheltered life, Bogey Man. I’ve seen worse. Changing the subject, what did you think about the clue that Marguerite gave Coral about her treasure?”

“I have no idea, except that there must be something in one of her books. Maybe she left a note, or maybe she mimicked something that was in one of her books.”

“Now there’s an idea. I’ll have to ask your mother if any of Marguerite’s storylines had to do with something being hidden in a secret compartment.” I thought about that for a moment. She wrote gothic novels. Most of them probably had to do with things that were hidden. “Maybe it’ll turn out to be a treasure hunt based on clues in one of the books.” I smiled to myself. That might be fun. Was I now infected with the treasure hunt bug?

“Mom, maybe it’s in that new book you brought home. Didn’t you and Grandma Judy talk about no one ever knowing she made that book?”

“Out of the mouths of babes.” I smiled at my son. “I’m going to take the book to work with me and try to get a start on reading it. Maybe she only had five copies printed because the book was meant for her daughters, to help them find whatever she’d hidden.”

“Kind of a stretch since she only had two daughters and there are five books,” Chris said, “but stranger things have happened. Did you ever ask Carol and Coral if they

knew about the book?”

“I didn’t think about it. I know we’ll see them again, so I’ll ask next time they’re around.”

“Yeah, about that. I don’t know how they think we can find the killer. I can’t really do much to help them. I’m sorry that the kid was bumped off, but what does it have to do with the house?”

“Other than the fact that if we find the killer your parents will be safe? Besides, since she was murdered there, I think maybe it has to do with the treasure.”

Chris pulled back the corner of his mouth. “Oh, yeah. Good point.”

I could see by his expression that he was humoring me. Of course he’d already thought about that. Remembering how the twins handled things, I gave him a light punch on the arm. He smiled.

We arrived home and Chris and Mikey gave the dogs a little attention while I took care of a few household chores. Treasure or no treasure – restaurant or no restaurant – there were always things that had to be done at home.

Since it was Tuesday, I dressed more casually than I do on the weekends, opting for white slacks with wide loose legs and a yellow blouse with light red flowers in the pattern. Chris wore brown forties-style slacks with a striped shirt and suspenders, and Mikey followed suit.

Chris loaded the dogs into the vintage Chevy after complaining about how much they were shedding. “My mother could make an over-sized pillow with all this dog hair.”

I almost ignored his comment, but having second thoughts I ran back inside the house and returned with a lint brush and a dog brush. We wouldn’t want dog hair floating through the air at the restaurant.

We arrived at
Bogey Nights
just as Chef Luis was taking over from Chef Nathanial, whom we called Nate. Chef Luis

had been with us from the beginning, and Chef Nathanial had come out of retirement to work for us during the lunch hours. Nate and Lila had gotten together when Lila started singing in the lounge. Lila was my friend from church, and one of the group of Church Ladies who’d almost gotten us killed sometime back. There was a time when the mere mention of the Church Ladies made me want to run and hide, but that was history, and best forgotten.

“Lila is singing tonight,” Nate said, “so I’ll be back for dinner.” Our employees ate for free, anytime they wanted a meal.

“See you then, pal,” Chris said.

As things quieted down during the afternoon, we changed tablecloths and set up for the dinner crowd. When the economy started going south, we’d lowered our prices and both kept and gained many loyal customers. We’d had to cut a few corners that the customers couldn’t see, but it had been worth it. We made supplies last longer, served portions that were only very slightly smaller, and started opening for lunch when we’d only been open for dinner in the past. We still served gourmet food, and
Bogey Nights
with its forties theme and cocktail lounge, was considered the
place to be seen
. We’d even renovated a little so that the cocktail lounge and restaurant were no longer separated by a wall, so now it resembled the dinner houses seen in vintage movies.

Glancing around the restaurant, I took pride in what we’d done. I watched as Chris and Mikey went over the reservation book. If I’d only had a camera, it would have made a great picture.

People began to arrive around five o’clock, and I moved behind the Reservation Desk while Chris and Mikey showed people to their tables and chatted with the customers. It looked like we had a pretty good crowd coming in for a Tuesday night if the people with reservations all showed up. Something caught my eye and I took a closer look at the list.

Smiling, I tapped my finger on the name Ben Hernandez, party of two. He was doing everything he could to show Cloene a good time and to help her forget the loss of her friend.

Even though we’d found Kimberly’s body, we’d been pretty blasé about her death. Her family and friends needed closure, and I hoped we could provide it for them. Granted we’d just been hired (at no pay), and granted she’d only been dead since Saturday, but I had a feeling that for her sake and the sake of Chris’s parents, we needed to come up with a solution and a guilty party.

“Chris, come here, please.” I motioned him over.

“What is it, cupcake?”

He looked at the reservation. “Isn’t that the cop from Kimberly’s house and her friend?”

“It is. I’m glad Ben is keeping her busy. I’m glad she’s not alone and dwelling on her friend’s death. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if something happened to Constance.”

Constance, retired and older than me, was my friend and Mikey’s regular babysitter. Our husbands had both died of cancer and we’d developed an instant bond before I met Chris. Mikey’s real father had been so young at the time of his death.

Chris left my side to seat another couple who’d walked in. I heard the name they gave him and crossed them off the list.

Nate and Lila arrived and Mikey seated them in a quiet corner. Smart kid.

The band started playing, beginning with
I’ll Be Seeing You
, a romantic number meant to relax the customers. I knew Lila would join them after dinner and sing her little heart out. She’s quite the canary when it comes to singing. She has a range that’s phenomenal.

Ben and Cloene arrived around six o’clock, and I showed them to their table while Chris and Mikey were busy

with other customers. They held hands and if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought they’d been seeing each other for a while.

Returning to the Reservation Desk, I was doing some mental computing when someone tapped me on the shoulder. Looking up, I found Ben standing next to me.

“I heard you and your husband have been hired to find Kimberly Hawthorne’s killer. If I can help, just say the word. I’m not
always
on duty, you know.”

How on earth could he have heard about the twins hiring us this fast?