Two Guys Detective Agency (11 page)
How would they pay for it?
The doorbell sounded like a gong in the house. A few seconds later, Carla’s panicked voice rang out.
“Mrs. Habersham!”
What now?
Octavia thought as she moved to the top of the stairs.
Two meaty looking men were walking through the entryway, heading toward the rear of the house
where the home theater was located. “We’re here to repossess the flat screen, and the sound system,” one of
them said without breaking stride.
Oh, dear God — carry out the equipment while her neighbors gawked? Tongues were probably already
wagging from their vehicles being towed away. And weren’t foreclosures announced in the newspaper?
“No!” she shouted, and jogged down the stairs, made more problematic by the cheap flip-flops of
Linda’s she wore. By the time she flapped to the bottom, the men were coming back through the foyer, with
speakers under their arms.
“You can’t do this,” she yelled, following them outside. “Put those back!” She tugged on their shirts
ineffectively.
“Step back, lady,” one of the guys threatened.
From out of nowhere came the sound of a growling dog. Octavia whirled to see Max straining in an
aggressive stance toward the men, his teeth bared, his leash dragging behind him. He barked and snarled as
if he might tear off a limb.
“Call off your dog, lady,” one of the men shouted. “We’re just doing our job.”
Octavia’s estimation of the big wrinkly hound rose a few notches, but he’d also caused a big, fat scene.
Neighbors had emerged to see what the commotion was all about. Across the street, Emily Devonshire
waved, then cupped her hands to call, “Is everything alright?”
Octavia waved back. “Oh, yes! We’re just replacing our old TV. Thanks, though!” Nosy witch. Octavia
turned back to the men and muttered, “Hurry the hell up.”
Linda came bounding up and retrieved the end of Max’s leash. “Sorry, sis, he got away from me.” She
quieted the dog with a stern command, then murmured, “What’s going on?”
“None of your business,” Octavia snapped, stinging with humiliation. “Why are you still here?”
Linda blanched. “Sorry for the trouble. We’re going now.”
Octavia instantly regretted her outburst, then reminded herself she didn’t have time for regrets, not
when her life was imploding right in front of her. She couldn’t find Richard. She was broke. She had no
transportation. And in two weeks, she’d have no place to live. She considered her options, which amounted
to one, then swore under her breath. “Linda...wait.”
Her sister turned back.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper.” Octavia wet her lips. “I need a place to stay for a little while, until things
settle down.”
Linda gave a laugh. “Are you kidding me?”
Octavia wondered if she’d finally pushed her sister too far...and for a split second, she almost wished
Linda would show some spunk, even if it was at her expense.
Linda pulled her hand over her mouth. “You’re welcome to stay with us, but you know what the
accommodations are like.”
“I can handle adversity,” Octavia said charitably.
Linda looked heavenward, then said, “Do you want to follow me home?”
“Actually...I’ll need to ride with you.”
“Why?”
“My car isn’t available.”
“O...kay. I assume you’ll want to pack a suitcase?”
“Give me a few minutes to grab some essentials.” She dodged the men coming out carrying the massive
flat screen TV that Richard had been so ecstatic over when it had been delivered, and suddenly, she was
glad to see it go.
“Carla!” she shouted as she walked into the house.
The woman appeared, looking teary. “Yes, Mrs. Habersham?”
“I need your help to gather some personal things.”
“You’re leaving?” The woman looked apprehensive.
She didn’t want to ignite more gossip...nor did she want Carla to find a new position in case she and
Richard were able to set things right with the mortgage. “I’m going to stay with my sister for a while. She
just lost her husband, you know.”
Octavia hurried to her bedroom and threw open her own enormous walk-in closet and instructed Carla
to put her suitcases on the bed.
“All of them?”
“Er...I don’t know exactly what I’ll need while I’m there,” Octavia hedged. She grabbed armfuls of
clothes and dumped them into the open cases, hangers and all. When they ran out of suitcases and trunks,
Carla fetched a stack of heavy duty garbage bags to hold shoes and handbags. Octavia longed to change
clothes, but she didn’t dare stop long enough. Instead she tied a Hermes scarf around her neck to spice up
her lame outfit.
When they were finished bagging everything, Octavia looked up and felt a surge of affection for
Carla...the woman deserved to know the truth.
“To be honest, Carla, I don’t know when Mr. Habersham or I will be back, so you should try to find
another position if you can.”
The woman looked crestfallen, but she nodded. “Do you think Mr. Habersham is safe?”
Until I find him
. Then Octavia squinted. “Why would you think he wouldn’t be?”
Carla looked over her shoulder, as if she were afraid someone else was listening. “Two days ago Mr.
Habersham gave me something to keep for him.”
Octavia frowned. “What did he give you?”
Carla hesitated, then reached into her pocket and withdrew a small padded envelope.
“What is it?” Octavia took the package.
“He didn’t say and I didn’t ask.”
A stamp of Richard’s legal insignia spanned the sealed edge of the envelope. The date two days prior
and Richard’s initials were scribbled on the seal in his handwriting. Otherwise, there were no markings on
it. A small heavy object had settled into the corner, but it was impossible to identify the item. A ring? A
coin?
“When did Richard say he’d be back to get it?”
“He didn’t say,” Carla murmured. “But I’ve kept it with me. And now you say you and Mr. Habersham
might not be back...I didn’t want to disappear with it.”
“You did the right thing by giving it to me.” But inside she fumed. What was Richard thinking giving
Carla something valuable for safekeeping? He knew she suspected the woman of taking her diamond
watch.
Then a horrible thought occurred to her. She marched to her jewelry hutch and threw open the doors.
Carla gasped. “Where’s all your jewelry?”
Octavia’s eyes narrowed. “I was about to ask you the same thing.” She had her exclusive jewels with
her, but even her second-tier jewelry was pretty darn valuable.
The woman’s eyes widened and she began to back up. “I — I didn’t take anything, Mrs. Habersham. I
swear, I would never do that.”
Octavia believed her — dammit. Because she had a feeling Richard had cleaned out her jewelry box
along with his own...and considering the state of their finances, he was probably the culprit behind her
missing watch, too. It was like a kick in her veneered teeth.
“Don’t worry, Carla. I believe you.” She rummaged through what was left of the jewelry and came up
with a modest pair of diamond stud earrings — the kind one might wear grocery shopping — and put them
in Carla’s hand. “Thank you for your help and your service.”
“I couldn’t take these,” Carla protested.
“You can and you will.” Octavia tilted her jewelry hutch forward and emptied the loose baubles into an
empty purse. “It’s the least I can do for you carrying all these bags down to my sister’s van. If you hurry,
you can get them all loaded before that enormous truck leaves, so the neighbors won’t see you.”
Carla surveyed the mound of suitcases and bulging bags with a watery smile, but she nodded and
tucked the earrings into a pocket.
Octavia dropped the mysterious padded envelope into the purse along with the jewelry to deal with
later. On the way out of the house, she picked up the unopened mail lying on a foyer table and stuffed it
inside, too — one of the envelopes might contain a check.
Tears pricked her eyelids as she drank in the details of the extravagant home she’d so painstakingly put
together, candlestick by candlestick. She refused to cry — this wasn’t the end...she simply wouldn’t let it
be.
But her hatred for Richard was growing by the moment. Leaving her was one thing, but leaving her
exposed like this was simply unforgivable.
He. Would. Pay.
“SEE, I TOLD YOU it would all fit,” Octavia said as Linda slid the van door closed.
“Barely.” Linda bit her lip as she surveyed how low the loaded van sat on its worn out tires. “Have you
seen my home? I don’t know where we’re going to put all this stuff.”
“It’s temporary,” her sister assured her. “Now let’s get out of here before that big-ass truck leaves.”
Octavia hopped into the passenger seat and slammed the door.
Linda looked down at Max, who looked up at her. “Come on.” She led him around to Octavia’s door
and rapped on the window.
Octavia cracked open the door. “What?”
Linda gestured to the bags overflowing between the two front seats. “Max is going to have to sit on your
lap.”
“No way.”
“Yes way, unless you want to drive.”
Octavia frowned. “I refuse to drive a minivan.”
Linda patted the seat next to Octavia. “Up, Max.”
The dog obeyed and she settled him across her sister’s lap under much protest. Linda smiled to herself
as she circled back to climb into the driver’s seat. She started the engine. “So what’s going on? Are you
leaving Richard?”
“No. I’m merely leaving my house.” Octavia shifted under the weight of an unwieldy Max and made a
face. “It seems we’ve been foreclosed on.”
Linda’s mouth dropped in shock. “Foreclosed?”
“My CPA will handle everything,” Octavia said with a dismissive wave. “I’m sure it’s a matter of
crossed paperwork or something. Now let’s get going.”
Linda hoped she would be so calm when
her
house was foreclosed upon. “I don’t guess you’ve talked
to Richard?”
“That would be no.”
Octavia had nothing more to add as they wove back through the neighborhood. After they exited the
gate, she pointed in the direction opposite the Interstate. “Turn here.”
“Where are we going?”
“To Richard’s office.”
“He’s there?”
“He’d better hope not.”
Linda studied her sister’s determined profile and the thought crossed her mind that she didn’t relish
being in the middle of a confrontation. But she knew Octavia when she got something in her head, so she
kept quiet and kept driving.
A few minutes later, Octavia directed her to pull into an office park.
From the size of the white one-story building that heralded “Habersham Law Office” in gilded letters on
its front picture window, Richard appeared to be doing well for himself. The exterior of the building
resembled a residence, with a small front porch and plant bed, ringed with perennials. Very homey.
Right down to the “Closed — Please Visit Again Soon” sign posted on the front door.
“Back in next to those trees,” Octavia said, pointing to a spot across the parking lot.
Linda frowned, but did as she asked.
“I’ll be right back,” Octavia said. “How do I get the hound off of me?”
“I’ll get him,” Linda said. “He might need to be walked again.” She alighted and walked around to open
the passenger door. Then she helped Max down — his arthritic legs didn’t let him bounce like he used to.
“I’ll take him for a walk,” Octavia offered. “Hook him up.”
Linda lifted one eyebrow, especially when Octavia removed the scarf around her neck, wrapped it
around her dark hair, and tied it under her chin. With her big, designer sunglasses, her face was almost
completely covered. But she hooked on Max’s leash and handed it to Octavia, along with a plastic bag.
“What’s this for?”
“In case he has to go.”
“Are you insane?” Octavia shoved the bag back into Linda’s hand. “I don’t pick up dog shit.” She
shook the leash. “Come on, you.”
Linda watched bemused as Octavia crossed the rather long parking lot, practically dragging Max behind
her. She approached the office door with composure. She tried the doorknob, but it was obviously locked.
She cupped her hands around her eyes and peered inside. Then, presumably disappointed, Octavia allowed
Max to explore the flower bed.
Linda felt a stab of pity for her high-strung sister — she had to be frustrated beyond belief, yet she was
handling her husband being missing better than Linda thought possible.
A group of teenage boys walked by. Octavia bent over and Linda wondered if her sister had had a
change of heart about cleaning up after Max. Then, as quick as a snake striking, Octavia picked up a brick
and hurled it through the big gilt-lettered window.
Immediately, an alarm sounded. Max began to howl. Octavia pointed a finger to the passing teens,
shouting at them, as if one of them had done it. They looked bewildered. Octavia yanked Max away,
pointing and shouting at the boys. Pedestrians stopped to stare. The teens scattered like ants.