The Art of Death (26 page)
Authors: Margarite St. John
While the Iron Is Hot
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
The pool house at the Wrights’ Tuscan mansion in Gretna Green had emerged from its reconstruction magnificently. Now it was in the process of being decorated. Lexie led Steve around, pointing out each detail -- the black-and-white striped all-weather curtains, the white lounges with black trim, the Tuscan olive oil jars imported by Jessica, the custom-made ground-hugging lamps in the shape of giant mushrooms, the aged-copper umbrella tables.
Steve’s crew had done the reconstruction, but he’d been too busy for the last couple of weeks to pay any attention to decoration, which he had no interest in anyway.
“Now come with me inside and let me show you the towels I’m thinking about for the men’s side of the building,” Lexie said. “I want you to tell me which style you prefer.”
“I want towels that are big and rough and get you dry. That’s it,” Steve said. “I don’t care about the color.”
“You would if they were orange,” Lexie teased.
“They’re not orange, are they? I hate orange.”
“I know you do. Come and see.”
It took Steve less than thirty seconds to point to the monogrammed white towels with black Greek-key trim. “These look fine.”
Lexie slid a basket toward him. “You like what’s in here?”
“What am I looking at?”
“Men’s toiletries.”
And then he saw the gleaming chrome. He picked it up. “Is this what I think it is?”
“What do you think it is?”
“A hood ornament, but I haven’t seen this one before.”
“It’s an original 1929 Pierce-Arrow Archer Mascot for the radiator cap.”
“Is this for me?”
“Yes,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.
“You aren’t trying to keep up with Madeleine’s awls and hammers, are you?”
“No,” she said, pretending not to be offended. That argument was best forgotten. “It’s for your collection, which is going to be displayed in the library. I have my eye on a René Lalique Renard -- .”
“What’s a renard?”
“A fox. In this case, a crystal fox. For a Rolls Royce. The ornament’s going for a couple hundred thousand now. Much cheaper in the 1930s when it was made, of course.”
“I could buy a Rolls for that price.”
“Well then . . . .”
He gave her a hug. “But I don’t need anything that expensive. The Pierce-Arrow Archer does just fine. Why a gift now, though? It’s not my birthday or our anniversary or anything I remember.”
“It’s a thank you for finishing the pool house so fast. We still have a couple of months of good weather ahead, so we’ll get to use it. I wasn’t sure we would. We’re all grateful. Jessica and Ed are coming up this weekend to take a look.”
“You didn’t think I’d manage to get it done?”
“You’re so tied up with Madeleine’s barn, I was afraid you wouldn’t. I even told Jessica I didn’t expect to see anything useful until September.”
“Madeleine’s barn!” he said with disgust. “She called again yesterday to tell me to halt all work because she’s thinking of adding a second floor, which would become her living quarters, with her studios and offices on the ground floor, plus an accessible suite for Chester and an attached garage. That changes everything. According to her architect, he can’t get started until she’s more specific about what she wants. We may not be able to resume work until the snow flies.”
“Has she been paying you?”
“She made the first payment.”
“She’s not the easiest client you’ve ever had, is she?”
“No surprise there.” He sighed as he felt his cellphone vibrate. He sighed again when he looked at the screen. “Speaking of the devil.”
“Oh, God, what’s she want now?” Lexie asked.
“Pour me a scotch, would you? Two ice cubes, lemon twist, a little soda. I’m going to need it.”
As Lexie walked back to the house, he punched the talk button. “What’s up, Madeleine?”
“Isn’t it a lovely night?”
“It was.”
“Oh, Lefty, be nice. Daddy’s here with me. He wants to talk to you right now about his suite in the barn that you’re going to turn into a magnificent house. Maybe we can get it featured on that HGTV show about unusual dwellings.”
“It’s almost eleven o’clock, Madeleine. All coaches turn into pumpkins in an hour, so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“It can’t. Daddy goes back to the nursing home early in the morning.”
“Take him back later in the day.”
“I can’t. I have important appointments tomorrow, starting at eight in the morning.”
“By the way, Madeleine, I never could find any place called the Holy Ghost Convalescent Home near Dayton.”
“Why were you trying?”
“I thought I’d look in on Chester. That’s where Nettie said he’s staying.”
“That’s just Nettie’s way of protecting him. When I’m out of town for long periods, I take him to Lutheran Life Villages. . . . When were you talking to Nettie?”
“A couple nights ago. I was going to check on Chester when Nettie left for the night but I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“I don’t get it. Why bother? You never liked Daddy when we were married.”
“I didn’t hate him.”
Madeleine giggled. “He hated you.”
“I know. I never understood that.”
“Because no man was ever good enough for me. That’s what he thought then. But he’s changed his mind. He thinks we should never have gotten divorced.”
“That’s water under the bridge. Nettie said Chester’s not as weak or helpless as you sometimes make out. She said he doesn’t need anybody’s help. So why are you lying about his condition? Why is Nettie lying about where he is?”
“I told you, she’s just protecting him. And I’m not lying.”
“You have to admit, Madeleine, that to a normal person the situation looks pretty odd. I’ve been out at the farm for weeks and never caught a glimpse of Chester.”
He heard a catch in her voice. “There is something wrong. I don’t like to talk about it because it breaks my heart.”
“Then tell me what’s wrong.”
“Better yet, let me show you. Daddy’s right here with me as we speak. When you see him, you’ll understand why I don’t let anyone else see him in this state.” He heard what he thought was a sob. “It’s tragic what’s happened to him. Aging is so cruel. I think all he wants is release from the burdens of this life, but his heart just keeps ticking on.”
“Where have you been the last couple of weeks, by the way?”
“Here and there. Business, not much pleasure.”
“You couldn’t have told me about adding a whole story to the barn a couple of weeks ago? It changes everything about the footings, you know, even the grading if there’s going to be a bump-out and attached garage.”
“I was busy. Anyway, speaking of time moving on, it’s really moving on for Daddy. He has some very particular ideas about what he wants in a new suite. It’s best if he tells you himself. And for some reason he’s very alert tonight. Best to strike while the iron is hot, don’t you think?”
“As I said, Madeleine, it’s late and I’m tired.”
“Would it make a difference if you knew Detective Powers was here?”
“He is? Why?”
“He had some things he wanted to talk to Daddy about. Some questions about poor old Dan, I think. I told him to talk to Daddy while he’s like his old self. And that’s what he’s doing.”
“Put Dave on a minute.”
“Hold on,” she said.
Steve heard her voice as if she’d put a hand over the phone. “Dave, Steve wants to talk to you.” Then he heard the phone thump a table and high heels walking away. A full minute later, only a few garbled sounds having reached his ear, she was back on the phone in normal volume. “Lefty, are you still there?”
“I’m Steve, Madeleine. Please. And yes, I’m still here.”
“Dave extends his apologies but he and Daddy are totally engrossed, right in the middle of something. As I said, Daddy’s in full flow, making sense, even enjoying the experience. Of course, Daddy knows next to nothing about what happened to Dan, but Dave seems okay with that. Anyway, come on out. Dave is anxious to talk to you about something.”
“Did he say what?”
“No.”
Steve puffed out his resignation. “Tell Dave not to leave until I get there.”
“Oh, he won’t, Lefty. He told me he really wants to talk to you as soon as possible.”
“How long do you think my part is going to take?”
“Not more than an hour.”
“I’ll come out on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You hand me a check for the latest bill. The one you disputed. You have all the documentation now, so you know the bill is honest.”
“I haven’t had a chance to really look at it.”
“You’ve had weeks, Madeleine. Unless we keep this relationship on a solid business footing, it can’t continue.”
“You wouldn’t do that to me!”
“Don’t test me.”
“I’ll have a check ready. Are you leaving this minute?”
“No. I’ll be there a little after midnight. Will Chester still be awake?”
“I’ll make sure. But don’t wait too long.”
Wacko Bird
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Steve joined Lexie on a patio outside their kitchen. His scotch and soda was waiting. So was Lexie, loaded for bear.
“So, what’s the crazy lady want?”
“She wants me to come out to talk to Chester while he’s
compos mentis
.”
“I thought you said after you talked to Nettie that you thought he was being kept hidden away somewhere, in his bedroom when Madeleine’s there, in a nursing home when she’s away.”
“Madeleine claims he’s right there with her tonight and she’ll explain everything.”
“So he does have Alzheimer’s, is that it? If he’s
compos mentis
now, then he must be confused most of the time.”
“I guess.”
“What does the old man want to talk about?”
“The changes to the barn to make a suite for him.”
“If he has Alzheimer’s, how can he tell you what he wants?”
“As I said, he apparently has periods of lucidity.”
“I wish she did. She’s going to override anything her father wants anyway, we know that. Everything is her way or the highway, and from what I can see, the highway in her head is full of blind curves and rock slides. How many times has she changed her mind about what she wants? If you weren’t the man you are, you’d have fired your own client weeks ago.”
“She’s difficult, all right.”
“The nerve of her, asking you to go out there when it’s almost midnight. What made her think you’d do it?”
Steve hesitated. “She said she’ll explain everything, so I agreed to do it.”
Even in the subdued indirect light of the patio, Steve could see the fire in his wife’s eyes. “You didn’t!”
“Don’t get mad, Lexie. She says what’s happened to Chester is tragic. She was actually crying on the phone. She never cries, so it must be serious.”
“Maybe if she weren’t calling my husband for comfort, I’d have a little sympathy.”
“If comfort is all she wanted, I’d have said no. But all the work on the place has been halted and won’t resume until somebody tells me what the changes are and I get some new architectural plans. The sooner things get back to normal, the sooner I get paid.”
“If the subject is architecture, then why didn’t Madeleine call the architect?”
“Good question.”
“What do you mean, the sooner you’ll get paid? I thought you said she was paying you.”
“She paid the initial fee, but now she’s disputing some of the labor costs on the most recent bill. My bookkeeper provided ample documentation, but meanwhile I’m advancing not just labor costs but materials too and it’s getting pricey.”
“That’s not good business, Steve.”
“I just told her that she has to have a check waiting for me or I quit.”
“Tell her you’ll go out there tomorrow morning to talk to her father.”
“He won’t be there. She’s taking him back to the nursing home early so she can keep some important appointments.”
“You have to be inconvenienced so she won’t be. Is that it?”
“That’s about it.” He sipped his scotch, which tasted bitter. “Besides, I have two good reasons to go out there. One is to get that check. The other is that Dave’s out there.”
“Is that where he is? Sheila said he was working late tonight.”
“He’s talking to Chester about what happened to Dan Belden. She said Dave wants to talk to me about something anyway, so it’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“One of those birds is a wacko bird. I’d like to kill her for real.”
“Lexie!” he said with a smile. “That’s not like you.”
“Did it ever occur to you that Chester might have killed that girl at the cemetery?”
“It occurred to Dave after he found some peculiar clothes in the old man’s closet. But if Chester has dementia, then as a man in his eighties I don’t see how he could do it.”
“What if I told you that if you go out there at” -- checking her watch -- “midnight, you’re going to spend the rest of your life in a doghouse?”
He chuckled again, then caught himself. “I’m not laughing at you. Just the thought of wacko birds and doghouses.”
“It’s not funny, Steve.”
“Are you giving me an ultimatum?”
Lexie looked away. “I’m just asking a question.”
“You don’t trust me, Lexie? Come on. You know better.”
“I don’t trust that wacko bird.”
“I can handle her.”
“The issue for me isn’t just that I don’t trust her. On so many levels, this project isn’t worthy of you. You’re dancing to your ex-wife’s tune, and it’s a crazy tune. She wants you back. She wants to prove she’s your real flame, not me. Maybe you don’t realize this, but our friends think you’re nuts. And all you’re doing is rebuilding a stupid barn -- you, who built Gretna Green! Even if you get paid, you aren’t making any real money, not nearly enough to pay off your Dupont creditors and investors.”
He sighed. “You’re right. There are days I feel like I’m back where I started, building one structure at a time.”
She got up from her lounge chair and joined her husband on his. “I realize I’m treading on dangerous ground here, but I renew my offer to pay off your debts with my diamond money, and I’ll even stake you to new a brand new venture. You’ve put the Hilton Head project on hold. Why not get it off the ground? You’ll make money, I’ll make money. And we won’t have wacko bird calling at midnight.”
“It’s tempting.”
“The condition, of course, is that you have nothing more to do with the Appledorns.”
After a little more niffnaffing back and forth about their frustrations and desires, Steve finally agreed that after tonight he’d having nothing more to do with the Appledorns.
“But I said I’d go to get the check and Dave wants to talk to me anyway, so just this one time. Okay?”
“Okay. But how do you know Dave’s really out there? Did you talk to him yourself?”
“No. But she did.”
“She’s such a liar. Call him, just to make sure he’s really at the farm.”
Steve dug his phone out of his pocket and punched in Dave’s number. “Voice mail. He doesn’t want to be interrupted or he’s taking some other call.”
“Okay,” Lexie said, easing off the lounge chair. “But this is the last time you see Madeleine and you quit the job as of tonight.”
“It’s a deal,” he said, finishing his scotch and kissing her.