Rohn Federbush - Sally Bianco 03 - The Recorder's Way (10 page)

“State of the art.”
Sister J. M. seemed excited.

“Google
CSI. There is an investigator’s license course you can apply for.” Helen smiled at the sister’s enthusiasm.

“The course is fairly co
mplicated.” Max opened the door ready to escape the close quarters. “We’ll keep in touch.”

“Anything I can do, before I’m licensed, to help. I could talk to Marilyn, maybe.” Sister James Marine was back to wrinkling her handkerchief.

Back in the car, Sharon said, “Mother Superior might be able to interrogate or maneuver Marilyn, if you ever find her.”

Max patted Helen’s knee, just to reassure her.
“We’ll find her.” Who was he kidding? He had no idea where Marilyn was. What seemed more important at the moment was, did Helen know how much she affected him? Should she? Max couldn’t bring up the subject of his passion for his best friend. He felt his spirits plunge into his boots. “Please God.”

He hadn’t
realized he’d prayed aloud for strength to follow God’s will, until both Sharon and Helen chimed in with an, “Amen.”

“floods, caterpillars, and sycamore trees’ frost, locusts…and the firstborn shall die.”

The Egyptian Plagues

Second Sunday in May, 2008

University
Art Museum

Standing near the
atrium of the art gallery’s central, circular hall, Helen asked her father to explain to George Clemmons why Sally Bianco’s memorial service was so crowded with people they had never met.

“
Half are policemen or plain-clothes detectives,” Andrew said.

“Helen thought I could meet you all casually,” George said, “before I come to dinner.”

Andrew shook George’s hand. “Your father was our hero in high-school.”

Max said, “
With all these out-of-state crime experts available, Helen is convinced Sally’s murder will be solved in record time.”

Captain
Tedler touched Helen’s shoulder before introducing himself to Sister James Marine. “Helen tells me you’re interested in filling in for Sally with The Firm.”

“As soon as I complete my training
,” Sister said. Ten of her fellow nuns were scattered about the room. Helen spotted several of them on the second-floor balcony, which circled the main hall. Helen tuned back into the nun’s conversation with Captain Tedler. “In the meantime,” Sister replaced her handkerchief in her jacket’s side pocket. “I might possess some sway with Marilyn. She trusts me to keep her best interests at heart.”

Captain
Tedler agreed. “Trust is a valuable tool.”

Helen’s father asked
the Mother Superior to lead the mourners in the short serenity prayer from AA. As a footnote, Sister said, “St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost items and people. I would like to ask for all believers to pray that we find Marilyn Helms, who we think knows more about the circumstances surrounding Sally Bianco’s passing than we presently do.”

Sally’s AA sponsor, Phyllis Reed, mentioned specifics about
Sally’s generous nature. “During one retreat, we nicknamed her ‘Lady Bountiful’.”

Captain
Tedler closed the memorial service. “Sally Bianco once described a cartoon she’d seen of a hunter and his dog. Underneath the two, a rabbit hole hides a rabbit larger than the hunter. ‘Go get him,’ the hunter says to the dog, who doesn’t appear very eager to ferret out the monster. Sally was always ready to pursue wrong-doers no matter how huge their reputation in society.”

Julia Costello
spoke, too, inviting the crowd to a brunch at their home. Helen was amazed to see her recluse mother hand out maps to the crowd of complete strangers.

The mourners included t
hree couples from St. Charles, Illinois. A police captain and his wife explained their association with Sally spanned two of her cases. Apparently, Sally reclaimed her previous husband’s name after she was widowed during the investigation of an arson death in St. Charles. She was married only a week to the twin brother of a bald, handsome man. The younger couple from Illinois wept openly.

Four
children and a babe in arms accompanied Captain Tedler’s brother and his wife from Missouri for the memorial service; Helen heard them apologize to Julia for not attending the brunch. Their ride home would take six hours due to weekend traffic.

Two older men in wheel chairs, an enormous man and his
grim-faced wife, a slim fellow with a pronounced limp, another fuzzyheaded elderly man with two grown sons, and a white-haired man from India and his blonde wife added to the gathering, which nearly filled the University’s art gallery.

Helen checked the gues
t register after a group of ten, black-suited men signed the book. Gilbert Commonwealth was written after their names. Apparently, they were fellow workers from Sally’s past. Helen realized to her, most of Sally Bianco’s life was a blank slate compared to the stories the assembled mourners could reveal. Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Washington and Wisconsin sent more than a hundred grieving guests to Mrs. Bianco’s funeral service.

Andrew
leaned over Helen’s shoulder to read the book. “Sally kept in contact with people involved in the various cases she worked on.”

“
I hadn’t realized the full extent of her friendships,” Max said.

♦
♦
♦
♦
♦

Costello Home

At home after checking on the caterer, Helen found Max leaning against the wall in a corner of the living room, taking notes. Because of his height, his head practically touched the ceiling. They would need a bigger house, higher ceilings, at least. What was she thinking? Helen shook her head to stop her speculations. “What are you doing? This is a funeral, Max, not part of our investigation.”

Max put away his notebook. “I was counting. Sally’s journal said she needed to make amends to sixty people.”

“Mrs. Bianco’s friends, these people, are not attending the funeral of someone who injured them. Most of them are probably from AA.”

“True.”
Max’s hand strayed to his curls. “I thought maybe sixty were old lovers.”

Helen pulled him by the hand into the backyard. The birds were singing
away. She needed to tug on his arm to get his attention away from the birds’ romantic melodies. “Sally Bianco was a moral person.”

“Maybe not while she was drinking.
” Max loosened his tie. “Remember your dad’s theory about the sixties when the birth control pill was available – before the AIDS epidemic arrived?”

“
Sally Bianco possessed too much self-esteem to be promiscuous.”

Max shook his head, like a dog with a bone.
“I’ve been calculating various breakdowns of the number. Sixty. If she was thirty when she was first divorced and has only been sober for five years, sixty breaks down to a minimum of two lovers a year. And, wasn’t she married a few times, too?”

“
I think a couple of her husbands attended the service. Just drop the subject, Max. It’s not appropriate at a funeral,” Helen said. “Besides I’m sure her Higher Power has forgiven her for using people to salve her ego.”

♦
♦
♦
♦
♦

“Is that what you think I did?” Max’s mouth watered. Helen’s perfume, Chanel No. 5, caused him to anticipate his next breath of scented air.

“You tried to fill the empty space left by your parents,” Helen said. “I’m proud of you loving and trusting
Maybell. You changed before my eyes. I think she was wrong to use you.”

“I have forgiven her.” Max
opened a folding chair, sat down and rubbed the arms of the chair.

“You’re a very loving person, Max.”

The hemline of Helen’s black dress was inches away from Max’s fingertips. He stood, tapped the top of Helen’s head, then wound his arm around her midriff. “We should
not
get involved, sexually. While we’re partners.”

Helen pushed him away
. “What makes you think …?”

George Clemmons called to her from the back door. “Helen, is
your ornery partner bothering you?” Helen laughed, perhaps too hysterically for the occasion. George was slimmer and shorter than Max. “Unless my sister invites your attentions, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself.”

Max
attempted to shove the guy who was standing way too close to him. “Your
newly
recognized half-sister knows how to handle herself.”

“While I’m around
, Helen can count on me.” George didn’t give an inch of turf. “What are you going to do stomp me into the ground?”

“Easier than stepping on a bug.” Max spat out the words.

“Max, stop it.” Helen tried to wave him off. “Go in and see if Mother needs any help with the caterer.”

Max let go of George
’s shoulders and stormed off.

♦
♦
♦
♦
♦

George dusted himself off. “Did you need to hire a
goniff for your agency?”

“He’s a sweet guy, with lots of problems.”

“No doubt.” George looked around their beautiful yard. Her brother inhaled the scents from the flowering trees deeply, as if to calm down. “Nevertheless, I would avoid being alone with him.”

“Really?” Helen felt
she’d been given the best compliment she’d received in years.

♦
♦
♦
♦
♦

Second Monday in May
, 2008

Ann Arbor Police
Station

Captain
Tedler was pacing around his desk when Helen and Max arrived. “Andrew said you have something for us.” Max folded his sunglasses and sat down at one of the two chairs facing the Captain’s desk.

“I have.”
Seemingly relieved, Captain Tedler collapsed into his chair. “Beautiful day?”

Helen continued standing, as if preparing herself for
worse news. Max wondered if he touched the shoulder of her white blouse if he would feel the warmth from her body. Captain Tedler waved for Helen to sit and didn’t speak until she did. Helen placed her hand on Max’s arm.

“We found Sally’s Honda
.” Captain Tedler consulted the notes on his desk. “It was abandoned in the surf in Cape May, New Jersey.”

Max stood up. “I’ll go.”
Mostly, Max needed to move away from Helen’s hand on his arm. His body’s early warning system let him know his interest in this slip of a girl was not abating. Helen shook her head in disagreement.

“Sorry I couldn’t
come to the house after Sally Bianco’s service.” Captain Tedler seemed to think Helen’s gesture was in censure. “We’ve been busy around here.”

Helen
asked, “Did you find out anything more about what transpired at Portage Lake?”

“We found a
yellow dog whose fur matches the fur in Mrs. Bianco’s hands.” Captain Tedler swiped at what might have been angry tears on his face.

“Did he have rabies?”
Max asked.

“No, we checked. The Humane Shelter put him down, after he tried to attack one of the
Waterloo rangers.”

“
I’ll fly to Cape May,” Helen said.

“I should go with you.” Max knew she
should go, but he didn’t want to be without her. Captain Tedler shook his head no. Max felt confused.

First Helen’s
half-brother took an instant dislike to him, and now Captain Tedler appeared distrustful. Max hadn’t demanded to go with Helen because of the likelihood something untoward would happen between them. He worried about how to continue a working relationship with a woman he obviously intended to know better. With the hope of a reprieve, he admitted to God his fixation was not entirely honorable.

Max
suggested an alternate agenda to the Captain, “The file clerk from St. Anthony’s Hospital should be brought in for formal questioning. She gave us two more files connected to Sally’s investigation.”

“What investigation?” Captain
Tedler pounded the desk with his fist. “What investigation?”

“Mrs.
Bianco told us three doctors were involved in deaths at St. Anthony’s Hospital, in 1990.” Helen’s voice was apologetic. “I thought you knew. My father obtained a warrant to search ….”

“
Not through this office! And you didn’t bother to inform us when we found Sally’s body?” Captain Tedler’s face resembled bright hamburger before fire darkened it. He tapped the holster of his gun.

“
Have you found a Marilyn Helms? She’s the owner of a dog called Rufus.”

Captain
Tedler tore pages out of his notebook. “The shelter said the dog’s tag had his name on it. Here it is. Rufus!” Tedler lifted his telephone. “We need an extradition order for a Marilyn Helms now visiting in Cape May, New Jersey. And bring in … “He held the phone away from his ear. “What’s the file clerk’s name?”

“Sharon
Daley,” Max said.

“
Sharon Daley, St. Anthony’s Hospital.” Captain Tedler hung up the phone. His face was not yet its normal color. “Do you realize you jeopardized Sally’s life by not coming forward with this information?”

Helen
tried to calm him down. “You’re upset about losing your friend, but Sally was probably killed Sunday afternoon. We didn’t know she was involved in a case until Monday morning. By Wednesday, Andrew had called you to look for her car, because she was missing.” Helen stood. “Max, it could take days before the extradition process succeeds in bringing Marilyn Helms here. I knew Sally Bianco longer than you. Let me do this for her.”

Max wanted to hug her out of relief.
She could handle herself like a pro. She backed Captain Tedler down without insulting him. At least there would be no question of sharing a motel with her. He’d be in Michigan and she’d be safe in New Jersey. He would decide how to handle his attraction while she was gone. “Don’t tell her about her dog’s death until you need to.”