Mahjonged (An Alex Harris Mystery) (18 page)

I sighed. I usually had more to go on by now. Maybe I lost my touch. The police seemed to be focused on Connie and Bert and maybe that’s where I needed to focus my own investigation but first I replayed in my head my conversation with Judith again and again trying to discern any snippet of lust in her voice for the doctor. Everything she told me just sounded like she was talking about a friend but still she did seem very taken with him and lavished on a ton of praise. No one could be that wonderful to work for. And how did she know for sure he didn’t stray? I felt like all I was doing was grasping at straws and trying to find some hidden message in Judith’s praise for the doctor. I needed a diversion and I turned my attention to Bert.

I wanted to talk with him but he and Connie no longer lived together. I reached in the back seat for the phone book, a year-old phone book, and if they just recently separated there wouldn’t be a new listing for Bert. I could call directory assistance or I could check for a business address. I flipped through the yellow pages until I found Cabrizzi Construction.

Thirty minutes later I pulled up to a small trailer. It didn’t look like much, but then what did you really need for a construction office. All the work was done someplace else. I saw someone move by a window and I walked up the ramp leading to the front door.

“Can I help you?” Bert asked without even looking up at me.

“Yeah, you can tell me why you broke into my house.”

That got his attention and he looked up. “Oh, it’s you. What’s your name again?”

“Alex. Alex Van der Burg.” I sat down and put my purse on the floor next to me. “Well?”

He placed both hands flat on the desk. “Okay, look. I’m sorry about the mess and stuff. I’ll fix the window.”

“Like the way you fixed Penelope Radamaker’s kitchen? No, thanks. But you can pay me for making the repairs myself.” Okay, so the window was already broken and I planned on replacing the old carpet anyway, but I wanted to see what kind of a guy he was.

“Sure. Sure. Anything. Look, just don’t have me arrested, okay. Really, I didn’t touch anything. I just wanted to check up on Connie.”

“Oh, I don’t think you need to worry about me. You’ve got bigger things to keep you occupied. Like the police suspecting you of murder, like a pending lawsuit for the mess you created at Penelope’s house.”

“You’ve got it all wrong. I wanted to fix the kitchen. Really. But she wouldn’t give me a chance. I kept leaving messages but she wouldn’t return any of my calls.”

I could see what attracted Connie to Bert. He was good looking with his disheveled dark looks and brooding eyes. And the five o’clock shadow. I have a weakness for stubble.

“It sounds like you had a motive for wanting her out of the way,” I said.

Bert stood up. “Hey, now. I’ll admit I didn’t do my best work, but some guys quit on me. Okay, so maybe I didn’t pay them for a while, but that’s no reason to walk off a job. And yeah, so I had a couple beers too many and may have said something like it would be a good thing if she just kicked the bucket, but I am not a killer.”

It suddenly occurred to me I was sitting in a trailer, alone, with a man who currently topped the police suspect list. Probably not my best move.

“As a matter of fact, I drove by her house early this morning and saw her step kids. I told them I would be back tomorrow to finish the job. I just have to call my concrete guy…where is his number?” Bert said as he searched his desk through a mound of paper.

“So how’s Connie?” I asked. “The two of you looked pretty chummy for a couple who split up.”

Bert smiled. “Oh, you saw us? She’ll let me back. She always does. But this time I promise to straighten up. Really. I’m going to get my shit together. Oh, sorry,” he said looking up at me. “Here. I knew I had his number. I’m going to call him right now and get the kitchen finished. And if you could find it in your heart not to press charges,” he said with a hundred megawatt smile, “then things will be just perfect.”

I grabbed my purse and stood up. “I’ll think about it,” I said as I started to walk out and then it struck me. “Did you have an affair with Penelope?”

“Huh?” Bert asked and then quickly went back to searching for something on his desk.

I took a few steps back into the trailer. “You did, didn’t you? Oh my God, is that why you killed her?”

“Okay, okay, look, that’s not how it was, okay,” Bert said as he stood up. “It wasn’t an affair, it was one time. She wanted more, but come on, she was old, you know? I mean, you’ve seen Connie. Penelope kind of threw herself at me.”

I could see it happening. There was Bert, working on her kitchen, getting all hot and sweaty, probably took his shirt off, and that stubble…I shook my head and came back to reality.

Bert ran a hand over his chin. “It was fun for a while, but I wanted to get back with Connie. Penelope wanted more and that’s why she filed a complaint against me. But it didn’t matter. I love Connie.”

“It was fun for
a while
?” I asked. “That doesn’t sound like one time to me.”

“Okay, okay, look. We had fun. But really, the minute Connie seemed to be willing to try again, I told Penelope enough was enough.”

A pushy woman, threatening to report him for shoddy work and maybe tell his wife about their affair seemed like a damned good motive for murder. Plus Connie probably knew and maybe took matters into her own hands.

“And she said no so you killed her?” Did I just say that out loud? Geesh. I needed to get out of here and call the police. I turned and walked out without another word to Bert.

About a mile down the road I passed Detective Maroni headed to Cabrizzi Construction. Like I told Bert only a few minutes ago, I was the least of his problems.

I didn’t know who else to talk to and I had a few things to get done at the office. Plus, it seemed likely either Bert or Connie, or maybe the two of them together, killed Penelope. Detective Maroni probably had Bert in the back of his car right about now headed to the police station. Of course that didn’t mean Bert had spilled the beans about his little affair with Penelope. I needed to make sure Jim Maroni knew Bert did more than just work on the kitchen.

Sam had some things to do this afternoon and Michael needed to work late, so after a couple hours of work, I went and picked up my niece and nephew.

By three I arrived back at my parents. Henry and Kendall sat at the kitchen table. Sam wasn’t kidding about the math homework and I watched as Henry meticulously worked through his long division. It amazed me how the kid managed to focus on such a complicated task, but Henry loved school.

My cell phone rang and I dug it out of my purse.

“Hello?”

“Alex, it’s Jim Maroni. Do you have a minute?”

“Sure. What’s up? Did you arrest Bert?”

“No, it’s about the passport on Mrs. Radamaker.”

I took a deep breath. Was it really going to be so easy, that the first Mrs. Radamaker came and killed her rival after all these years?

“No record at all she entered the country, but the problem is the Dutch issue passports on the maiden name not the married name. You wouldn’t happen to know what her family name is by any chance?”

I let out a deep sigh. “Of course. I forgot about women keeping their family name for all documents. Damn.”

Henry and Kendall looked over at me and started to laugh.

“Auntie said a bad word,” Henry said to his sister, then turned back to his homework.

“The thing is, Alex, even if she came here, how did she get into your house, into the den, in the dark, and then get out?”

To his credit, he didn’t sound like he was laughing at me, but he had a point.

“She would have had to be able to find her way around in a strange place in the dark and just happen onto Penelope? I don’t think so.”

“No. No, I guess not. It was just a thought. Thanks for looking into it. I appreciate your confidence in me.”

“No problem. If you get any more ideas, let me know because this one really has me stumped. I wish John was here.”

I closed the phone and put it back in my purse. Another dead end. “Damn,” I said, startling the kids. I forgot to tell him about Bert.

Henry finished the last problem and passed his work over to me and I went over it. He had gotten all ten problems correct. I kissed the top of his head and got up to get them each a glass of milk and homemade chocolate chip cookies. My mother worked while Sam and I were growing up so there weren’t homemade cookies for us when we got home each afternoon. Henry and Kendall usually stayed at the after school program until Sam picked them up so the cookies and milk were a special treat. Leave it to my mother not to forget. I made myself a cup of tea and took a few of the cookies and sat back down. Sitting next to my niece and nephew I suddenly had doubts about not wanting any kids of my own, but deep down I didn’t think I could be as good a mother as Sam. And it wasn’t just that. I really didn’t want to have any children. Mary-Beth and her husband felt the same way as well. I just wished I didn’t feel so guilty about it. And of course, I hadn’t even told my family yet. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but maybe tonight.

“What else do you have for homework?” I asked Henry and Kendall, trying to shake myself out of my self-induced guilt trip.

“I have to read two chapters of my book,” Kendall said. “And I have to tell the class about them tomorrow.”

Henry took another gulp of his milk and then pulled a chip out of the cookie and popped it in his mouth. “I have to read the next four pages in my book and then answer all these questions,” he said showing me a sheet of paper with fifteen questions.

“Okay. I’m going to go talk with grandma and Meme while you finish your homework and then we’ll go out and play in the leaves.”

Henry drank the last bit of milk and then picked up his book. I left them alone while I went to check on the card players.

“Are they done with their homework?” my mom asked as I came into the living room.

“Almost. And then I’ll take them outside for a while and see what damage we can do to Dad’s leaf pile.”

“They’re adorable,” Jean said. “And Henry is a cutie pie.”

I smiled and took another sip of tea. “He is that. So who’s winning?”

My grandmother rolled her eyes and nodded her head in my mother’s direction. “Your mother and Dorothy are cheating,” Meme said trying to get my mother going.

Mom just sighed and tossed another card down. I knew next to nothing about pinochle despite the fact it was my mother’s favorite game.

“Are you back at your house yet, Alex?” Jean asked.

“No. John’s still gone and I just didn’t want to be there alone.”

“Speaking of John, is he ever coming home?” my mother asked.

“I talked with him this afternoon. The part got delivered but it was the wrong one. So it had to be ordered again. I think they’re going a bit stir crazy up there.”

Dorothy looked over at me. “Have you heard anything from the police, Alex?”

I took another sip of my tea while I decided whether to talk about the murder or not in front of Jean. She still sat firmly on my suspects list if not the police’s and I didn’t want to give too much away, and I didn’t feel like explaining my theory about the first Mrs. Radamaker nor did I want to divulge the Bert and Penelope affair.

“No, nothing much. Not that they would tell me anything anyway. But I did get a message at work this afternoon. Penelope is going to be buried on Friday.”

“Well, I guess we should all attend,” my mother said looking around the room. Everyone nodded and I told them where and when it would be held. Reuben Radford, Millie’s boyfriend, would be handling the arrangements.

“I’m done with my homework,” Henry said coming into the room.

My grandmother put out her arm and Henry went and stood by her giving her a kiss on her cheek. Henry loved Meme and Sam took the kids over to Meme’s a least one afternoon a week.

“And how about me,” my mother said to him. Henry promptly went over to my mother and gave her a big hug. When she released him he went and gave Dorothy a hug and then over to Jean, first giving her the once over before he decided she looked okay and he could hug her. She gave him a big hug back and kissed his cheek before he moved over to me.

“Can we go out now, Auntie? And can I have another cookie?”

Ten minutes later I lay on the grass covered in leaves. Henry piled them up on my stomach while Kendall made me a leaf pillow.

“Why does grandpa have to rake them up?” Kendall asked. “They look so pretty all over the ground.”

“I don’t know,” I said seriously. Before I moved into John’s house I waited until the last minute to rake mine up and then only because my father said I had to. No one ever raked them up at the green in the center of town so I didn’t know the answer to that one.

Henry looked up at the trees. “I want those leaves too,” he said, getting ready to climb up a huge maple toward the back of the yard.

“You’ll have to wait another month for all the leaves to fall, but before they do, they’ll be just beautiful.”

“Here you are,” my sister said. “Grandma’s got a big pot of stew for us,” she told the kids.

My sister looked down at my leaf-covered body. Wet leaves by the feel of it. She sat next to me. “What did I miss?”

“Mom is winning at cards and the kids did all their homework. Oh, and there’s chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen.”

Sam reached into her pocket pulling out a cookie. “I know. What I meant was did you find out anything new today?”

“Nope. Nothing. Except the police were headed over to Bert Cabrizzi’s place just as I left. He and Penelope were, you know.” I raised my eyebrows not wanting to say anything in front of the kids. “Oh, and Penelope’s funeral is Friday. Oh, and the first Mrs. Radamaker must have a passport under her family name so we don’t know if she came here to kill Penelope or not.”

My sister made the same argument against the woman coming to my home to seek out revenge that Jim Maroni had, so I figured I should just drop it. But she had tons of questions about Bert and Penelope. I promised to fill her in later.