Exploit of Death - Dell Shannon (29 page)

He laughed sharply. "Just from the family
feeling. Oh, by God, or course they had to do something about it. So
there were two trips to Paris."

"How do you make that out?"

"The letter. The letter saying she couldn't
come. Somebody had to fly over to mail the letter, for the Paris
postmark. They'd have heard all about her letters. They knew about
Goulart. They had that plan all ready a month before, by God. I
wonder if they're both married. Some woman took out that library
card. But that Social Security card—well, we'll have a look at
them—see what shows."

"And just the unlucky chance tripping them up,"
said Hackett.

"Maybe not chance,
Arturo," said Mendoza.

* * *

HE WENT TO THE HOSPITAL
just to look at Grandfather, who was in a coma and by what the
doctors said unlikely to come out of it. It was an old wrinkled
lantern-jawed face on the pillow, with a mean narrow mouth. Not a
pleasant character, Grandfather, but not such a villain as they had
imagined.

** *

HE SURVEYED the Dobbses in his office enjoyably.
David Dobbs was unmarried, but Robert's wife was a flashy blonde
named Gaylene, in expensive clothes and wearing too much jewelry.
Both the men resembled their father strongly, the same aquiline
features and long jaw. ‘They were both impassive. The blonde looked
sulky.

"It was a very pretty plan," Mendoza told
them. “Of course your company had that derelict building on its
books and a rudimentary look at it would have suggested Daggett as
open to bribery. That was very competently accomplished. Which of you
went to France?—first to mail the letter and a week or so later to
murder Goulart and clear out Juliette's apartment? We'll have to look
for a passport, of course. Somehow I think it was Mr. David Dobbs. I
appreciate the touch about the money not being returned. That would
have been the last straw, to set the old man against her. And Robert
and his wife met Juliette at the airport—her pleasant new
relatives—all smiles and welcome. You didn't take her home for the
neighbors to see, of course. But you could have rented the nice
little beach house for a week, or possibly the company owns a
suitable place. And you gave her some plausible excuse why she
couldn't see Grandfather right away—it only needed to satisfy her
long enough for you to get her inside somewhere and get a drink down
her—well-laced with a sedative. You kept her half-doped from
Saturday to Tuesday, when David got back from France and told you it
was all clear, Goulart was out of the way. So you called Daggett and
that night you three took the girl to that apartment, left the
artistic evidence scattered around, the rest of the money for the
Daggetts and Garvey, and went home rejoicing. It all should have been
quite safe, but Nemesis outguessed you." Mendoza laughed.

"I'm afraid I don't
know what you're talking about," said Robert Dobbs woodenly.

* * *

THEY ASKED THE AIRLINES and got confirmation of David
Dobbs two flights to Paris. They heard from a garrulous friend of
Gaylene Dobbs' that her name had been Hoffman before she married
Robert, and she'd always hated her real first name, Ruth, used her
middle name. So that was where the Social Security card had
originated; but Mendoza had overlooked one small point about that.
The original card, unlike the replica, would have have borne the date
of issue; and that card had probably been issued to Ruth Hoffman when
Juliette was hardly more than a baby. But when they got the search
warrant for the Robert Dobbs' million-dollar house in Bel Air, they
hit a jackpot. At the bottom of a carved wooden jewel case in the
bedroom, among all the other expensive jewelry, they found Juliette
Martin's engagement ring. The unique ring designed and made by M.
Duprés in the Rue Lafayette twenty-six years ago.

And with the only display of emotion Mendoza was ever
to see Robert Dobbs display, before that or during the trial, he
rounded on his wife with a string of vicious obscenities.

"I told you to throw that damn thing down the
john—"

"But, Bob," she
said stupidly, "it's a valuable ring, it's worth a lot of
money."

* * *

MENDOZA GOT HOME late that night. It had suddenly
turned much cooler and up on the hill above Burbank a strong breeze
was blowing. It was nearly dark, but he could see the vague white
forms of the Five Graces huddled in the pasture. At the house, the
garage light was left on for him and he went in the back door, past
Cedric slurping water from his bowl in the service porch.

"Well, you are late and all," said Mairi.
"I kept your dinner warm in the oven—"

"Never mind, I had something downtown." He
went down the hall to the living room. The twins and the baby would
be in bed. Alison was reading in her armchair, surrounded by cats.
"Well,
querido
,
you finally remembered you have a home?"

Mendoza bent to kiss her. "Things should quiet
down a little now that the heat wave's ending." Now they just
had the latest homicide and two heists to work, and could hope that
not too many new calls would go down. "You get on with your
book, cariña. I want to write a letter to Rambeau."

He went back to the kitchen for a drink first, and El
Señor was waiting for him on the counter below the relevant
cupboard.