Fatal Identity (31 page)

Sam hung up the phone and turned to Keith with a smile. “Your pizza'll be here in less than an hour.”

“Thanks.” Keith was obviously impressed. “If one of you guys will hand me my wallet, I'll pay you back for . . .”

Sam held up his hand. “That's not necessary. Consider it payment for services rendered.”

“What services?” Keith was puzzled.

“For helping a former officer to trust his hunches. You see, I don't think Jerry Palmer's our man, either. And I'm counting on George to prove it.”

 

 

Marcie was in her room with the twins, and it wasn't a comfortable moment. She'd just finished explaining the trap that George and the police had set for their mother's killer, and how Jerry Palmer had been shot.

“Are they sure Jerry killed Mom?” Trish turned to her with absolute amazement. “I thought . . .”

“. . . Jerry was our friend.” Rick broke in. “And he always seemed to really . . .”

“. . . like Mom.” Trish finished the thought.

“I know it's hard to accept, but that's what happened.” Marcie put her arms around them. “Jerry was headed straight for the policewoman when they shot him.”

“Poor Jerry.” Rick looked upset. “Is he going to die?”

Marcie frowned. “No one knows, Rick. He came through the operation, but he's still in a coma.”

“Well, I hope he doesn't die!” Trish looked very worried. “They've got to ask him . . .”

“. . . why he did it,” Rick broke in. “We won't believe it, unless he confesses.”

Marcie nodded. “I feel the same way. I want to know why. We'll all keep our fingers crossed, okay?”

“Okay.” Rick and Trish spoke at once and solemnly crossed their fingers. Then Trish giggled. “Does this mean we don't have to do our homework? We can't write with our fingers crossed.”

Marcie laughed. “Oh, no, you don't! I didn't mean it literally. You both have to do your homework, especially next week. You see, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I'm going on a little vacation, and you have to promise to be good for Rosa.”

“Where are you going?” Trish started to look anxious. “And when are you coming back?”

“I'm leaving tomorrow, and I'll be back next Saturday. It's only for a week.”

“Are you going back to Minnesota to get your stuff ?” Rick looked curious.

“No, I'm . . . Brad and I are getting married tomorrow, and we're going on our honeymoon. That's why I can't tell you where I'm going. Honeymoons are supposed to be a secret, and I don't even know myself. Brad said he wants to surprise me.”

“You're getting married
tomorrow?
” Trish was clearly shocked. ”But you can't! That's absolutely . . .”

“. . . impossible!” Rick interrupted her. “Mom spent six months planning her wedding, and the studio did most of it. There's the reception, and the church, and the flowers, and . . .”

“. . . the wedding gown and the cake.” Trish shook her head. “Nobody can arrange a wedding for the next day!”

Marcie smiled. “Of course, they can. Especially if they go down to city hall to get married, and they only invite their closest friends. Like you two, and Rosa, and one other person.”

“Sam?” Rick looked anxious. “You're going to invite Sam, aren't you?”

Marcie winced. She really didn't want to invite Sam. Even though Brad hadn't actually said anything about it, she knew he was upset that she'd spent the night in Sam's guest room. “Sam's very busy. So I thought we'd invite Jolene Edwards. You like her, don't you?”

“Sure we do.” Trish nodded. “And I think you're right, Aunt Marcie. You shouldn't invite Sam. Uncle Brad would just . . .”

“. . . get jealous.” Rick finished the thought for her. “He really doesn't like Sam that much.”

Marcie nodded. It was impossible to keep anything form the twins. They were just too perceptive. “It's not that he doesn't like Sam. It's just that they . . . uh . . . had a difference of opinion. I'm sure they'll work it out.”

“Maybe.” Trish gave a deep sigh. “But I doubt it. It's just like the movie we watched about the love triangle.”

Rick nodded. “I wish you'd waited, Aunt Marcie. I think Sam was almost ready to ask you to marry him.”

“Oh, I don't think so.” Marcie did her best to keep a straight face. “Sam and I are friends. That's all.”

Trish frowned. “But friendship sometimes develops . . .”

“. . . into a deeper relationship.” Rick looked very adult. “Oh, well. I guess we're stuck with Brad.”

“I thought you liked him.” Marcie frowned.

“Oh, we do!” Trish threw her arms around Marcie's neck. “He's much better now than he used to be. Honest!”

Rick nodded. “And he makes you happy. That's the most important thing.”

Marcie smiled, but she knew the twins were saying what she wanted to hear. They loved her, and they weren't about to criticize her choice of a husband.

“Okay.” Marcie gave them both a hug. “Now I'm going to need a lot of help picking just the right dress to wear. Any suggestions?”

Marcie kept a smile on her face as the twins raced to the closet and began to discuss the pros and cons of various dresses. Were they right? Should she wait to marry Brad? She was rushing into this whole thing. But then she thought of the expression on Brad's face when he asked her to move up their wedding date, and she felt reassured. The man she loved needed her, and she would be there for him.

CHAPTER 25

“Beau!” George was surprised to see Beau LeTeure sitting in a chair by the side of Jerry's bed. “What are
you
doing here?”

Beau looked anxious. “Since I'm a relative, they're letting me stay with my brother Jerry.”

“Oh. Of course.” George nodded, and shut the door. Then he laughed. “I guess the guys outside aren't very swift. They didn't even check your I.D.?”

“No. They just told me that I couldn't go in unless I was a member of the immediate family, so I said I was Jerry's brother. And then I asked them why they were guarding his door.” George rolled his eyes skyward. “I suppose they told you?”

“Sure. They said Jerry was going to be charged with Mercedes's murder, and he'd been caught trying to kill Marcie. That isn't true, is it?”

George looked very serious as he pulled up two more chairs and gestured for Sam to sit down. Then he leaned close to Beau and lowered his voice. “I'm going to tell you something, Beau, and I don't want it to leave this room.”

“Okay.” Beau nodded.

“I don't believe Jerry tried to hurt Marcie, and I'm almost certain he didn't kill Mercedes. But I don't have a shred of evidence to back it up.”

“Maybe I can help.” Beau looked anxious. “You see, Jerry belongs to my therapy group, and he told me things he didn't tell anyone else.”

“Therapy group?” Sam was curious.

Beau nodded. “It's for gays who are involved with abusive lovers.”

“You?” George looked surprised.

“Not anymore. I managed to break off that relationship. But I still belong to the therapy group.”

“Do you know Jerry's lover?” George leaned forward.

Beau shook his head. “Jerry never divulged his name, but I know he's physically violent. Jerry told us about some of the things he did.”

“How's Jerry doing?” Sam felt a wave of sympathy as he stared down at Jerry's unconscious face.

“The doctor was here this morning. And he told me that Jerry was doing a lot better than anyone expected. When they did the CAT scan to locate the bullet, they found out that Jerry had a cerebral aneurysm.”

“That's very serious.” Sam looked worried.

Beau nodded. “I know. Since they had to open him up to take out the bullet, they removed the aneurysm. Jerry's lucky to be alive. They caught it just in time. That's why Jerry was having those awful headaches.”

“Hold it.” George frowned. “What headaches?”

“The bad ones that made him black out. The doctor said they were petit mal seizures.”

“He actually lost consciousness?” Sam was intrigued. A friend of his had experienced petit mal seizures, but she hadn't blacked out, and her condition had been cured with drugs.

“Jerry said he used to pass out every couple of weeks or so, right after one of his headaches. I finally talked him into seeing my doctor, but he didn't have an appointment until Monday.”

“Why did he wait so long?” George frowned. “He must have been in a lot of pain.”

“Because he was afraid he had a brain tumor. That's how his father died. But there's something else I have to tell you, something even more important. I know why Jerry went to see Marcie last night. He was just returning Mercedes's necklace.”

Sam and George listened as Beau told them about Jerry's lapses of memory, how he was afraid he'd stolen Mercedes's necklace, and made large withdrawals from Brad and Marcie's account when he was in one of his blank periods.

“But what made him suspect he'd done something like that?” Sam was confused.

“He found the necklace in his jacket pocket, and he didn't know how it got there. And his lover told him that he did crazy things when he got one of his headaches. Jerry believed him, because he couldn't remember anything he'd done when he woke up.”

George nodded, but he wasn't convinced. “Were you ever with Jerry, when he got one of these headaches?”

“Yes. He got one in group one night, and I drove him home. He was in a lot of pain, but he seemed perfectly rational to me.”

“Did you mention this to the doctor?” George's frown deepened.

“Yes. Normally, I wouldn't divulge a confidence like that, but . . .” Beau stopped speaking and sighed deeply. “I thought maybe it would help Jerry.”

George nodded again. “Jerry needs all the help we can give him. What did the doctor say when you told him about the crazy things Jerry's lover alleged he did?”

“He said that would be inconsistent with the symptoms of a cerebral aneurysm. He told me that Jerry would have lost consciousness and slept until his body recovered. There was no way Jerry would have been physically capable of going anywhere or doing anything.”

Sam glanced at George. “So Jerry's lover was gaslighting him?”

“Could be. It's certainly a good possibility.”

“Of course!” Beau looked excited. “I saw that movie. Why didn't
I
think of that? Jerry's lover might have been blaming Jerry for the things he'd done himself. Maybe he even . . . Do you supposed he might have even . . . ?”

Beau stopped, unsure if he should go on. “. . . killed Mercedes?” Sam provided the words that Beau was hesitant to say. “Anything's possible, Beau.”

“Yes, but we don't know who Jerry's lover is! And Jerry can't tell us until he comes out of his coma.”

Sam nodded. He didn't want to say what was on his mind, that Jerry might never come out of his coma. It was possible that Jerry could die right here in this hospital bed without ever regaining consciousness.

George got out his notebook and pen. “I need to know everything that Jerry told you about his lover. I know it's confidential, but I believe that Jerry would tell us if he were conscious. Maybe we can put the pieces together. Do you know where his lover lives?”

“Jerry told me he saw him when he went to Aspen with Marcie and the twins.”

“I was there at the same time.” Sam spoke up. “We all had dinner together. But I didn't see Jerry with anyone except Brad.”

Sam stopped cold and stared at George. Brad wasn't gay. He'd married Mercedes, and he was about to marry Marcie. He'd volunteered to take the lie detector test, and the examiner had staked his reputation on the fact that Brad hadn't killed Mercedes. As much as Sam disliked the guy, he
had
to be in the clear.

George seemed to read Sam's mind, because he raised his eyebrows and jotted another line in his notebook. Then he turned to Beau. “We need more information. Did you get the impression Jerry's lover
lived
in Aspen?”

“No. I assumed he lived in L.A.”

“Why was that?”

“Because Jerry saw him so often. But I guess he could have flown in from Aspen every couple of days. He had plenty of money.”

“How do you know that?” Sam asked.

“Because he bought a new car last year. Jerry told me that the car cost more than Jerry had paid for his condo.”

“What kind of car?” George asked.

“I don't know. Jerry didn't say. But I know the color. Will that help?”

“Anything you can remember might help. What color was it?”

“British racing green. Jerry said his lover was an impatient person, and he got a lot of speeding tickets. That's why he bought a dark green car. Since it's less visible than a brighter color, he thought he'd get less tickets.”

George and Sam exchanged glances. Brad had a dark green Jaguar. And he drove fast. But British racing green was a popular color, and almost everyone in L.A. had an expensive car. Still, the evidence was mounting up.

Sam took over the questioning. “Was Jerry's lover single?”

“No, he was married . . . or maybe he was divorced. Jerry said something about his lover's family once, and how they had to be careful that the kids didn't find out about Jerry.”

“How many kids?” George took over questioning.

“Two of them. A boy and girl. I know Jerry met them, because he told me how hard it was to pretend to be just a family friend.”

Sam and George exchanged glances again. A boy and a girl. Trish and Rick?

“Do you think Jerry's lover is in the biz?” George made another note.

“I don't know. But Jerry said he was a whiz at the stock market. He told me about a killing he made with a small electronics company a couple of... Hey! Wait a second!”

“What is it?” Both Sam and George leaned forward. Beau looked very excited.

“I just remembered something. Jerry said he handled some of his lover's business affairs. That means all we have to do is go over Jerry's client list, and we can figure out who he is!”

 

 

Marcie was radiant in a white linen suit and white high-heeled sandals. It wasn't the traditional wedding gown she'd dreamed of wearing when she was a teenager, but she knew she looked good. Rhea had put her hair up in a shining gold twist, and Jolene had brought pink tea roses for her bridal bouquet. Brad was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and tie. Marcie thought he looked very handsome. Everyone was dressed in their best, and they would have made a charming picture, if they hadn't been sitting on orange plastic chairs in the cavernous waiting room at city hall.

A baby cried, and Marcie looked around with a frown. The other couples were younger. Much younger. She knew she was the oldest bride there. And she was the only woman waiting to be married who wasn't obviously pregnant!

“Next?” A bored-looking clerk opened the door to an inner office, and motioned to their small bridal party. They were only seven. Marcie and Brad, the twins, Rosa, Jolene, and Jolene's boyfriend, Kurt, who was serving as Brad's best man.

The clerk, an older woman with frizzy, salt and pepper hair, wore the unhealthy pallor and sour demeanor of a career civil servant. “This way. Mrs. Chavez is waiting for you in the conference room. English? Or Spanish?”

“Excuse me?” Marcie was totally confused.

“The ceremony. Do you want it in English? Or Spanish?”

“English, please.”

Brad turned to wink at Marcie as they walked down the long hallway. She winked back, and did her best to keep a smile on her face. Weddings were supposed to be romantic. This wasn't turning out at all like she'd expected.

“In here.” The clerk opened a door and ushered them into a bare room with bright fluorescent lights and brown mini blinds on the windows. An official-looking Hispanic woman sat behind a desk at the front of the room. She rose as they entered.

“My name is Marta Chavez, and I'm a Clerk of the Court, City of Los Angeles. The State of California has endowed me with the authority to perform a civil marriage ceremony. Will the wedding couple please step forward? The rest of you wait back there.”

Brad took Marcie's hand and they stepped forward. Somehow, Marcie managed not to look as distressed as she felt. She'd known that a civil ceremony wouldn't be as nice as a church wedding, but surely their surroundings could have been a bit more traditional. She missed the little touches. A vase of flowers on the desk would have helped, or even curtains on the windows, instead of those awful institutional blinds.

She barely listened as Mrs. Chavez read the required ceremony from a clipboard she held in her hand. Brad looked serious as he repeated his vows, but Marcie couldn't help feeling as if she were a child in school, parroting the teacher, as she promised to be Brad's wife.

“By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. Congratulations. You may kiss the bride.”

Brad kissed her, and Marcie felt a little better. Then Jolene and Kurt signed the marriage certificate as witnesses. That reminded Marcie of the promise she'd made to Sam. She'd agreed that she wouldn't change her will until she married Brad, but now that she was Brad's wife, there was no reason to wait any longer. She pulled the will out of her purse, and handed it to Mrs. Chavez.

“I know this is unusual, but could you witness my signature?”

Mrs. Chavez glanced down at the will and frowned. “My fee for notarizing a legal document signed by two witnesses is fifteen dollars.”

“That's fine. You can keep the change.” Marcie handed her a twenty-dollar bill. Then she signed the will and passed it to Jolene and Kurt, for their signatures as witnesses. Mrs. Chavez notarized it, and Marcie handed the document to Rosa. “Take this home with you, Rosa. Please put it in my center dresser drawer.”

“What's that?” Brad was clearly puzzled.

“My will.”

Brad still looked puzzled. “But why did you sign it
now?
”

“I promised Sam I wouldn't change my will until we were married. And we are.” Marcie turned to Mrs. Chavez. “Aren't we?”

Mrs. Chavez nodded. “You are. The ceremony I performed is legal and binding. Is there anything else you want me to notarize while you're here?”

“No, I think that's . . . Wait.” Marcie pulled out the pink slip for her old Volkswagen Beetle and signed it over to Shirley Whitford. Then she handed Mrs. Chavez another twenty-dollar bill to have that notarized.

“What's that?” Brad was beginning to look amused.

“The pink slip for Miss Ladybug. I don't need it anymore, so I signed it over to Shirley Whitford. Send it to her, will you, Rosa? Her address is on the slip.”

Brad laughed. “Are you through now? Or would you like to sign the house over to someone?”

“We're through.” Marcie took his arm, and they walked out of the room as man and wife. It hardly seemed possible that they were married. Marcie felt more like she'd just appeared in court to pay a traffic ticket!