Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-four

“Judith asked me to pull up a few more boards, just in case whoever did this might be right about something being hidden here.” Big D appeared to be ill-at-east when he glanced at me. He quickly looked away.

“Well,” Judith said, “someone had a reason to pull up the floorboards.
Something
must have made it seem like a reasonable thing to do.” Unlike Big D, she didn’t look at all uncomfortable.

If Carol and Coral could see what Judith was doing, I wondered if they might have second thoughts about selling her the house.

“Davey, can I ask a favor? I know you’re having a ball ripping the house apart, but I want to check out a house a couple of doors down, and I don’t want to go alone.” I wanted to see if the man from the restaurant really lived next door to Kimberly’s house or not.

I could see relief written all over his face. “Sure. I’ll go with you. Sharon and Judith can talk about the house while we’re gone.”

Sharon winked at Big D. She played him like a violin

and sang a sweet tune. But who was I to judge? If he was happy, that’s all that mattered.

I explained the events of the night before to Big D while we walked down the street, giving him the abbreviated version.

“And he actually slashed the tire?” Davey sounded angry. Someone had messed with his friends, and he didn’t like it.

“I don’t know if it was actually the same guy or not, but it makes sense. It might tell me a little more if I know he really lives in the house.”

I pointed past Kimberly’s home to a neatly kept yard and home. The house was older and painted white with blue trim, and it looked relatively small compared to the rest of the houses in the neighborhood. There was no porch, so the walkway led straight to the front door. Whoever lived in the place had done their best to present a neat yard with a tree in front and a flowerbed that spanned the front of the home. The lawn had recently been mowed and there wasn’t a weed in sight.

We walked to the front door and knocked. Well, Big D knocked so it was more like pounding. I saw someone pull a curtain aside and peek out the window, so I waved, trying to soften Big D’s size and loud knock.

I heard the deadbolt being unlocked and the door opened a crack.

“Yes? Can I help you?”

I couldn’t see more than an eye, but the voice was that of an elderly woman. Considering how low her eye was, I figured she must be pretty short.

“Hello,” I said, sounding as friendly as possible. “My name is Pamela Cross. Can you tell me if a man lives here? I’m looking for someone who visited my restaurant last night. He’s about five foot seven, slender and has thinning brown hair.”

“No, that description doesn’t sound like anyone I know. Did he do something wrong?” she asked.

“He dropped a cell phone and I wanted to return it,” I lied. “He mentioned he lived next door to Kimberly’s house.” I pointed next door.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you,” she said uncertainly, and closed the door.

Turning to Davey, I said, “Hmm. Did you get the feeling she knew exactly who I was talking about?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I sure did. I think I’ll keep my eye on this house while I’m around here. And I’m going to talk to Chris about this.”

“Oh, good. Maybe you and the Bogey Man can set up a surveillance or something.” I was being sarcastic, but it went right over Davey’s head.

Just what I needed – someone to encourage Chris and his passion for mysteries. Well, what was I thinking? I had the same passion. I just didn’t have a friend who was around six foot four to watch my back. Not true. I knew Big D would watch out for me, too.

Glancing back at the house, I saw someone watching us walk away. The curtain had been pulled aside at a higher level, so it probably wasn’t the little old lady watching us this time. I was pretty sure I knew who it was.

We returned to Turnbal House, where the front door was still open, just in time to hear Chris Sr. and Judith talking about the floorboards.

“I mean it, Judith. We’re not pulling up one more board.” Chris Sr. was using his no-nonsense tone of voice, one I’d never heard before, but which was easily recognizable. “It’s one thing to knock on walls and look for secret compartments, but it’s another to actually tear the house apart.”

“But, sweetie – ”

“I said, no more. Now I’m going to drive to the

hardware store to buy new locks. You may be my wife and a lot more outgoing than I am, but I’m still the boss.”

I waited for a possible explosion.

Instead, I heard Judith say, “Yes, dear, you’re right. No more tearing up the house.”

I knew this ploy. As much as I hate to admit it, I’d used it myself. You have to pick your battles, just like Sharon had said. Judith knew Chris Sr. was right and she gave in easily. She’d pull out her big guns when the situation warranted their use. Of course,
big guns
is just a figurative way of putting it. Judith didn’t carry a gun. I hoped.

We walked into the house and found Judith and Sharon sitting at the dining room table. Sharon’s eyes were darting back and forth between the husband and wife. I had a feeling this might be a learning experience for her.

“Hi, folks. We’re back.” Davey announced our presence and acted like he hadn’t heard their words.

“You can start putting the floorboards back in place,” Judith said.

“Okay. I’ve been thinking it over and I’m going to replace them just as they are. I’ll refinish them when they’re in place, and I’ll do the whole floor. Trust me, you won’t want to do this yourself.”

“Why, thank you, Big D,” Judith said, still sounding sweet.

He smiled. “Call me Davey, ma’am.”

Sharon was surprisingly quiet, watching the interactions between everyone. I wondered what she was thinking.

“Okay, I’m heading out to get new locks.” Chris Sr. dug in his pocket for the car keys.

“I’ll save you the trouble,” Davey said. “Come out to the truck with me. Since I’m in construction, I keep a supply of door knobs and locks in the truck.”

I heard a car pull up and more voices sounded from the

front yard, including a young one. Chris and Mikey had arrived. Sherlock and Watson came bounding into the house and began frantically sniffing the area where the boards had been pulled up. I generally try to speak in glowing terms about my Labs, but truth be told, they’re still puppies – just very large puppies.  With any luck they’d mature by age three or four. Interesting. This was the second time I’d had the same thought about their maturity.

Sherlock began pawing at the floor, apparently hoping to pull up more boards.

“Sherlock, stop that!” I ordered.

He glanced up at me and without a second glance went back to pawing. I’d seen them trying to dig things up when they knew something was buried. This was different. This was a game to the dogs.

“Watson, come here,” I said, knowing she wouldn’t listen. Hurrying over, I grabbed their collars and dragged them away from the open floor.

Sharon abruptly stood up, which caught Sherlock’s attention. He tried to pull away from me, but I hung on. Sharon watched him with distrust in her eyes. She knew if I let go of him he’d be the sniffer and she’d be the sniffee. She’d had previous experiences with the Cross dogs.

Judith took hold of Watson’s collar and tried to help me out, and my sweet little eighty-five pound Lab almost pulled her over. My mother-in-law hung on tightly.

I heard female voices outside and grimaced, knowing who’d just arrived.

Carol walked in and, looking over her shoulder, said, “You take that back, Coral Turnbal. If you call me one more name I’m going to deck you.”

“You and what army?” Coral strolled in behind her sister.

Sharon studied the two mirrored faces. “Okay, I think I’ll be going now. I’ll come back when things are quieter.” She

cautiously walked around the hole in the floor, the dogs and the twins, working her way toward the door.

“Anytime,” Judith said between clenched teeth. “If the Jeep is in the driveway, then I’m here.” She clung to Watson’s collar even tighter as the dog tried to head for the twins.

Sherlock sat down and become ominously quiet. His big thick tail swished back and forth, sweeping the floor. He was smiling a dog smile. He liked the twins, and he wanted to welcome them, Sherlock style.

“
Chris
,” I yelled out the door, “
please come in here and help us
.”

Judith looked at me across the open space on the floor. “I’ve never seen the dogs this excited before.”

“Too many people and this isn’t on their terms. I usually try to keep them in a controlled circumstance. I…”

Sherlock stood up, ready to make a run for it. Grabbing the leash he’d been dragging behind him, I held it close to the collar and told him to
sit
and
stay
, in a commanding voice. My eyebrows raised in surprise when he
sat
and
stayed
.

“Give them a minute and they’ll calm down. Really they will.” I hoped.

Judith tried the same commands, but Watson just pulled harder.

“Well, look at these dolls, will you?” Coral descended on Watson like a tsunami. I held my breath while Watson’s rear end wiggled with excitement.

“This one’s cuter,” Carol said, walking up to Sherlock and stroking his head.

Mikey ran in the front door. “Hey, Mom, did you know the dame from next door had a boyfriend and he got mad when she told him to take a powder?”

My head was spinning. “What? What dame next door? And don’t call women dames, young man.”

“Okaaay. I’m talking about the lady Grandma Judy found upstairs.”

“Oh.
That
lady.” I loosened my grip on Sherlock’s leash and he remained sitting, enjoying the attention Carol was now lavishing on him. She’d fallen on her knees and was baby talking him to death.

“Oh, brother,” Coral said, listening to her sister and caressing Watson’s face.

Chapter Twenty-five

“Mikey, how do you know Kimberly had a boyfriend?” I asked. I would have thought my son was a natural born gossip, but I knew that in fact he wanted to be the bearer of clues for solving a mystery.

“The copper stopped in to see Dad while we were at the restaurant.”

“You mean Ben Hernandez? The one who was with Cloene last night?” I needed to start teaching Mikey to say Officer instead of copper, but his choice of words was our fault. He was only repeating what he heard Chris and me say.

“Yeah, that’s the one. He said that Cloyne – ”

“Cloene,” I corrected.

Mikey sighed and I could see he was becoming frustrated. I decided I’d better let him get his story out and not interrupt.

“
Cloene
told him Kimberly had a boyfriend. It was a long time ago, but she told the copper he still bugged Kimberly sometimes.”

“Do you know how long ‘a long time ago’ was?” I asked.

“Umm, I think he said like three months ago.” I was sure to a seven-year-old three months would feel like an eternity. I remembered how long summer vacations seemed to me when I was young.

“Thank you for letting me know,” I said, hugging my son. “I’ll talk to your father about it when he comes in.”

“I’ll go tell him you want to see him.” Before I could stop him, Mikey ran out the door.

Returning my attention to the dogs, my mother-in-law and the twins, I saw all three women watching me.

“What?” I asked.

“We were just listening,” Judith said. “I don’t remember any mention of a boyfriend when Cloene talked to Detective Murphy.”

Carol and Coral tried to walk away from the dogs, but Sherlock and Watson immediately whined. The twins started scratching again.

“Huh! So the murder victim had an angry boyfriend,” Coral said. “He’d be Number One on
my
suspect list.”

“Maybe he found out about Mother’s treasure and he was using the girl to stay in close proximity to the house,” Carol said.

“Oh, are you two going to help with our investigation?” Judith asked. She sounded slightly annoyed, or maybe not. I couldn’t tell. “Because in all honesty, I don’t think Junior needs any help.”

“Don’t count us out,” Coral said. “We could be lots of help to you.”

“How do you figure?” Carol asked.

“Oh, come on, Carol. You know how we used to play detective when we were kids. I mean, really, with all the hidden places in this house it was a natural thing to do.”

Carol almost smiled at the memory, but caught herself before it was a full blown grin.

Coral poked her sister’s arm. “Come on, you know we

had good times.”

Carol quickly swung her arm away and returned her attention to Watson without answering her sister. Watson glanced from sister to sister, probably wondering if they were really arguing or not.

“That reminds me,” Judith said. “You two were going to show me where some of the secret hiding places are. Can we do that now?”

“Sure. But why have you been pulling up the floorboards. Mother never hid anything under the floors.” Carol patted Watson’s head and finally moved away from her.

Judith looked sheepish. “Well, when we got here this morning someone had already pulled up a couple of the boards. I asked Big D to pull up a few more, just in case.”

“Big D?” Coral followed her sister’s lead and turned away from Sherlock.

“He’s a contractor who’s going to do some repairs for us.” Judith pointed toward the front door. “You probably walked right past him on your way in.”

“Oh, is he the big man? Blond hair and gorgeous blue eyes?” Carol was smiling.

Coral rolled her eyes and I realized we had something in common. “Back off, you overgrown teenager. Or have you turned into one of those coyotes?”

“What’s a coyote?” Mikey asked from the doorway.

“That’s an older woman who likes young men,” Coral explained.

“Outside, Mikey. You don’t need to be in here right now.” I made a shooing motion at him and he left, looking thoughtful.

“Ladies,” I said, “my son is only seven. He doesn’t need to know about cougars. By the way, they’re called cougars, not coyotes.”

“How’d we get from ex-boyfriends to cougars anyway?” Judith asked. “Oh, right. You walked past a

handsome man.” She narrowed her eyes. “Watch what you say in front of my grandson. Give him a little more time before helping him lose his innocence.”

I turned to Judith, surprised at what she’d said.

“Well, kids have to grow up too fast nowadays. He needs to have some good, clean fun time before he grows up.” My mother-in-law spoke to me, but she watched the twins while she spoke.

“And what about the little boy being involved in a murder mystery?” Coral asked.

“He’s not involved,” I said. “He knows what happened, but not in detail, and that’s it. And we’re trying to keep as much of it as we can from him.”

“Okay, I’m calling
Uncle
,” Carol said. “Let’s call a truce. We’ll be more careful in front of the young man. However, I think Coral is right. This was our house, and we ought to be able to help.”

“Lord knows Carol and I need something to do with our time. I can’t spend all day working with my animals, and my sister can’t spend all her time planting little petunias and attending fund raisers. Let us help.”

Glancing at Judith, I saw that she was warming up to the idea. I had a feeling that she kind of liked the twins.

I shook my head. “Chris will have a fit if you’re under our feet all the time.” It was
their
house? Were they trying to blackmail us into letting them become involved?

“Come, Ladies,” Judith said. “Pamela can think about this while you show me some of the house’s secrets. Let’s start upstairs.”

Judith handed me Sherlock’s leash and they turned their backs on me, heading up the stairs.

I trudged toward the front door, dogs in tow, knowing what Chris would say before I ever approached him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, almost bumping into me. “Ace told me he talked to you about Kimberly, so I was

coming in to talk to you. You know, we really need to quit dragging our feet and get hot on this case.” He took Sherlock’s leash out of my hand.

I spoke over my shoulder as Chris followed me into the dining room. “Dragging our feet? Kimberly was killed on Saturday night, we found her on Sunday afternoon, and this is only Wednesday. What do you think we should have been doing all this time?”

Other than the stranger at the restaurant and finding out that Kimberly had a boyfriend, we really didn’t have anything to go on. Except that there might be a treasure in the house. Was that what was really behind Kimberly’s death? Or was the boyfriend getting even with her?

“Knock, knock.” Hearing a male voice, I turned to see Mark standing in the doorway. “I saw the twins coming up the walk and thought I’d drop in.”

And there was the neighbor. He seemed to show up fairly regularly. No, he knew about the secret places because he’d played in Turnbal House when he was a kid. He wouldn’t need to pull the house apart piece by piece, nor would he probably need to kill anyone.

“The twins are upstairs,” I said. “Come on in.”

He smiled until he saw the hole in the floor. “What happened here?”

“Someone broke in last night, apparently still looking for treasure. Did you happen to hear or see anything?”

“I was out most of the evening, and when I got home I turned on the television. I didn’t hear a thing. If you need to know anything else, let me know.” Apparently not wanting to actually answer any
more questions, he headed up the stairs toward the sound of the women’s voices.

I looked at Chris and found he already had his gaze fixed on my face. “What do you think about him?” I asked.

“I think we need to eyeball him. He could be talkin’ double talk. I think he might know more than he’s letting on

and he might be doin’ some fancy footwork. He lives right next door, and yet he never seems to see or hear anything. Does that make sense to you?”

“Not really. He said at one point that he kind of keeps an eye on Turnbal House, so why
doesn’t
he know what’s going on?”

“
You
always know what’s going on with
our
neighbors,” Chris said.

“Are you calling me nosey?” I am nosey to an extent, but I’d never admit it.

“No, but you do seem to know what goes on around our house even though we’re gone a lot.”

“Well, that’s because I get along with our neighbors, and they talk to me. They tell me things. And I
do
keep an eye on the houses around us, for safety’s sake.”

“Uh huh. Not to change the subject, but my father told me about someone breaking in here and pulling up floorboards last night.” He turned and looked at the hole in the floor. “Too bad. This is a nice floor.”

“Davey said he can fix it,” I said.

“So, how about Kimberly’s boyfriend? Hernandez said he told Janet Murphy about him, and she questioned him this morning. He said the guy clammed up and she didn’t get much out of him. Maybe we should hotfoot it over to the shop where he works and grill him.”

“Shop?”

“Yeah, he’s a mechanic at a repair shop. The Chevy needs an oil change, maybe a tune-up. We don’t want to walk in cold and broadside him.”

“Good idea,” I said. “We can work up to grilling him. We’ve done that before.”

“I’ll ask Ma to keep Mikey and the dogs, and we’ll head over there. Let’s get the lead out. By the way, where is she?”

“Upstairs with the Bobbsey Twins.”

Handing me Sherlock’s leash, Chris got the lead out

and ran up the stairs. I figured my
lead
could just relax at the dining table until he was ready to go.