Mahjonged (An Alex Harris Mystery) (12 page)

“Bananen Schuimpjes,” Els said with an eye roll. “More candy,” she added at my blank look.

“What would you like to know?” I asked, reaching for a cookie from the plate.

“If you didn’t know Pen then how did it happen she was in your house?”

I related the entire story of my Friday night with the girls and ended with what had transpired in my parents’ living room on Saturday night.

“Doesn’t this town have a police force?” Wilhelm asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, it does. And as a matter of fact, my husband is on the force, but he’s out of town at the moment.”

“Then why are you pursuing this?” Wilhelm wanted to know. “Oh, I see. You’re like that English woman. The old biddie. The one who has the yarn. What is it called with the yarn?”

“Knitting,” I said.

“Knitting. Yes. Knitting. What’s her name?”

“Miss Marple?” I offered.

“Yes, that’s it. Miss Marple. And do you ride a bike as well?”

How do you tell someone you are indeed Indian Cove’s version of Miss Marple, you do ride a bike, and you do knit; that you’re nosy and murder intrigues you without sounding ghoulish, especially when it was a member of their own family who was killed? I was suddenly so embarrassed about my life I could feel myself turning a deep shade of red. I took another bite of my cookie and sucked down some tea before answering.

“Well, I do have some experience in murder. Actually, I’ve stumbled upon a few bodies in the last couple of years. Quite by accident,” I added at their frightened looks. “My company, a temp agency, supplies staff to the various businesses in Indian Cove and I’ve just had the unfortunate timing of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Els seemed to be considering something for a moment. “This agency of yours, do you mean you supply secretaries and things like that?”

“Yes, exactly. Anything to do with running an office, really. We have accountants, translators, executive assistants.”

“Pen didn’t have anyone left in her family and she never had children so everything,” Els looked around the room, “has been left to us.”

“How do you know that already?” I asked, wondering if they just assumed this to be true.

“The last time we were here, we all went to the lawyer and Pen drew up a will. Poppy had already provided quite nicely for us, but he also left Pen well off with the stipulation that when she died the remainder of the estate would be left to us.”

“I see.”

“Neither one of us,” Els said looking at her brother, “has any intention of moving to America at the moment so we need to do something with all this.” She waved her hand around the room. “I guess I should catalogue everything in here and put it up for auction or try to sell it on our own or perhaps donate it. I don’t know what we will do yet, but maybe you can be of some help. I’d like to hire your firm to send someone over to help me go through everything and figure out what to do with all of it. Is that doable?”

I felt a smile spreading on my lips and tried to rein it in, not wanting to seem too anxious. “Would tomorrow be too soon?”

Sometimes things do seem to work out just fine. I mean, the thought never even occurred to me to lend Els the agency’s services and there she was asking me to supply her with a temp to go through all of Penelope’s belongings. I had to say it again to myself just to be sure it was real—
to go through all of Penelope’s belongings
.

The golden goose had been handed to me on a silver platter and I felt giddy with excitement. How pathetic is that? Someone was killed. Murdered. In my house. And I was looking at it like it was Christmas morning. Of course, it was all for a good cause. To find a killer. I figured if I kept telling myself that all day, I would feel better.

“You’re here early,” Millie said, walking into my office and taking a seat. “I’ve been thinking about everything we discussed on Saturday night, Alex, and I just can’t think of any reason for someone to kill Penelope.”

I looked at Millie, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and her large, dark eyes, enhanced by green-tinted contacts, and wondered if she had considered her mother as the murderer at all? Would I consider my mother? After all, she was at the party as well. But, I reminded myself, Judith knew Penelope before Friday. No one else did. Maybe I would find something at Penelope’s home that would implicate Judith in some way. I shook the thought out of my head and smiled at Millie.

“Well, I have some news and it’s just what we need. I’ll be able to snoop to my heart’s content and it’ll be all legal, so to speak.”

“What will be all legal?” my sister asked as she walked in to the office, coffee mug in hand, and plopping down next to Millie. “I couldn’t get Henry to sleep last night. Seems he can’t sleep anymore unless it’s with Auntie Alex.” She gave me an eye roll. “Little bugger.”

“Next to John, Henry is the only male I would ever let sleep in my bed. He can come over anytime he wants.”

“You heard it, Millie. You’re a witness, because if he keeps me up again asking why he can’t have you with him, I’m bringing him over. And I don’t care what time it is. Now, what we’re you saying about something legal?”

I filled Millie and Sam in on Penelope’s stepchildren and how I had an appointment this morning to go over and help them.

“Wow. That’s just the break we need,” Millie said. “If you need any more help, just give me a call.” I had a feeling Millie felt relieved I planned to concentrate my efforts in other directions rather than pounce on Mia. But Mia was still on my list of suspects until I could find out more about Penelope. And of course Judith’s name lingered on my list as well, but I saw no need to let Millie know.

The phone in the outer office rang and Millie went to answer it. I looked at my sister and her somber expression. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be thrilled and want to nuzzle your way into going over there with me.”

Sam got up and walked to the window, looking out onto a beautiful day. The sky was bright blue and the air felt refreshed having been thoroughly washed by the storm. Though it was only early September, autumn was definitely in the air. I could smell it. After all, it was my favorite season and there is nothing like a New England autumn.

Sam turned and leaned against the radiator under the windowsill. “Okay. You said they didn’t like Penelope much and they called her Pen just to taunt her.”

“So?”

“So. Maybe they really disliked her. I mean
really
disliked her.”

“What are you suggesting?” I asked, getting up and walking over to the window. “Sam, they were in Holland. They just arrived when I showed up yesterday morning.”

“How do you know? Maybe they were here all along and just pretending to be
just arriving
.”

“Because they knew a nosy person who didn’t know Penelope very well at all was going to be driving by trying to figure out a way to get a look into the house without being seen?”

“Okay. Stupid idea. But they still could have hired someone to kill her. I think we should find out if Els and what’s his name….”

“Wilhelm.”

“Wilhelm. If Els and Wilhelm knew any of our four suspects before.”

“Well, probably unlikely but not a bad idea. I’ll try to work it into the conversation and see who they know. They did say they came here every summer. And I want to question them about their father and how he died.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “What does he have to do with anything?”

“Probably absolutely nothing. But I still want to know how he died, how long he and Penelope had been married. According to Judith, Penelope was on the make for a new man. Maybe the one she had ran out of money or something and she sent him over to the other side sooner than he should have left.”

“Hmmm. Interesting theory.”

I went back to my desk and flipped through a few files. “I need to send Millie a couple of emails and then I think I’ll get going,” I said as a hint for my sister to leave. She knew me too well, better than anyone, even John, and gave me an eye roll and a sigh added in for good measure.

“Fine. But call me the minute you find out something.”

“Okay, but it may have to wait until tonight if I get busy…”

“No! The minute you find out something, call me. Or else you’ll be getting a surprise tonight in your bed. And I’ll make sure I don’t feed him or give him a bath before I bring him over. Oh, yeah, and his new teacher gives a lot of homework. Math homework. Division. Long division and other stuff,” Sam finished as she walked out of my office.

I sighed deeply and reached for my purse. “
Idioot
.”

Before heading over to the Radamaker house, I swung by the health club. I knew Connie taught a morning class on Monday and maybe I could just catch her before she started. I guess I must have been more eager than I thought to speak to her because I took the turn into the lot much faster than I should have and barely missed a pothole the size of Meteor Crater in Arizona.

Despite the hole the parking lot was already full by time I pulled up. Her classes were always popular and today seemed to be no exception.

Connie stood at the reception desk looking over a schedule when I walked in.

“Connie. Good morning.”

“Oh, gee, Alex. How are you?” she asked putting her hand on my arm. “What happened after we all left? Did they find out who killed Penelope?”

“No, nothing yet. How about Bert? Are they still holding him?” I asked knowing full well Bert was a free man.

“I picked him up late Saturday morning. They had nothing on him,” she said in a matter of fact manner that really rankled me for some reason. And what was this
they had nothing on him
? He broke into my house where a woman, one with whom he had some sort of beef, was killed. “That is, unless you’re going to press charges on him for breaking and entering?” Connie said.

“I hadn’t thought about it,” I said truthfully. “I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” I wanted to keep my options open on having Bert arrested and I could tell Connie wasn’t too happy about this.

“Well, he doesn’t need any more trouble and if you could just drop it, for me, I would really appreciate it.”

Her tone wasn’t all too pleading; as a matter of fact it sounded more like a warning, and once again Connie rankled my nerves. My last nerve.

I decided to change the subject. “You know, Connie, I didn’t even know you were married let alone getting a divorce, which I’m sorry about, by the way. I’ve never noticed a wedding ring.”

A few gym members came into the club and stood at the reception desk waiting for keys for the lockers. Connie put the pen she had been holding down and moved away from the desk.

“We weren’t married very long and never got around to getting a ring.”

I nodded and then decided to get right to the point. And if Connie didn’t like it, I didn’t care. The murder took place in my house and Bert broke into my house. I had every right to find out whatever I could.

“Connie, what happened between Penelope and Bert?”

More people came in and Connie took my arm and moved me over to where the water fountain was. “Look, it was no big deal. She would have paid him eventually. She just wanted him to fix a few things.”

A few things? From the way Penelope’s kitchen looked yesterday, it was more than a few things and I told this to Connie.

“Bert’s been having some trouble lately getting good subcontractors. It would have worked out.”

“How long has this been going on? Penelope’s kitchen, I mean?”

Connie thought for a minute. “I think she hired him about six or seven months ago.”

“Six months? Her kitchen’s been a mess for six months?”

“Look, Alex, it’s no big deal. He’s working on it. He has a few guys ready to go over there this week, as a matter of fact.”

I’ll bet, I thought. And how convenient Penelope just happened to die.

“What’s it to you, anyway?” Connie asked.

“I’m just trying to sort things out. Someone was killed in my house, Connie,” I said before she could interrupt me. “You said something about Bert wanting to kill her because she hadn’t paid him. And guess what? She died. In my house,” I said again. “And Bert was in there all the time lurking upstairs, so, yes, I would say I have every right to know what’s going on.”

My voice had raised a couple of octaves and a few people stared.

“Well, like I said on Friday night, Bert can be a jerk for sure, but he wouldn’t kill anyone. It was just a figure of speech. You know how it is, Alex. He just got mad at her. And he didn’t say it to her, he said it to me one night after work. He just needed the money and she wouldn’t pay, so he got mad.” Connie ran a hand through her long hair and stood there looking at me.

“If he’s such a jerk, why were you two laughing and having a good time on Saturday? I saw you downtown.” I hadn’t really wanted to disclose this information, but Connie wasn’t giving me anything to go on.

“Now you’re spying on me?” Connie asked with a raised voice.

“I’m not spying on you, and lower your voice. I was at Kruger’s and I saw the two of you on Main Street.”

Connie put her hands on her very slim hips and sighed. “Okay. Look, he called me to come and get him from the police station. And then we went downtown to pick up a few things.”

“And?”

“And what? Alex, my life is none of your business and I’m tired of this crap you’re throwing at me. The police let Bert go because they had no reason to hold him. Get it? He didn’t do anything.”

“He broke into my house.”

“He was just checking up on me. It was no big deal.”

“He broke into my house!” I said more forcibly. “And he stayed up there all night doing God knows what.” Come to think of it, what was he doing up there all that time? I never checked to see if anything was missing. Bert could have been up there going through my things, stuffing his pockets with my family jewels. Okay, so I didn’t have any family jewels, but who knows what he touched. Thoughts of him pawing through my underwear drawer, I quickly pushed to the very back of my mind.