Death Loves a Messy Desk (13 page)

“But I have to mention that I saw her on television near the spot where that murder took place. She must have gone there directly from work, because it had just started to rain. She must have found out about the murder, and I think she’s connected in some way with that. And now she’s missing. So that’s why I’m here, really. In case there’s some . . .”

If I’d expected a dramatic reaction from Pepper, I was disappointed. “I’m sure there’s nothing to it, but I’ll convey your concerns to the right people. You’ll have to leave me the photo.”

I managed not to say,
The one you’re clutching with white knuckles?
I knew better than to grill her on that.

“Sure. That’ll be good. By the way, who’s the detective in charge of the case? I saw him on television, but I didn’t recognize him.”

“Nick’s working on it.”

“Yes, I saw him on the news, too.” I chose not to mention that being Nick, he had been blundering around the scene looking even more useless than usual. “But there was this other guy who seemed to be in charge.”

She made a face.

“Red hair,” I said, playing to her reaction. At the same time, I hoped she didn’t notice mine. I felt my heart rate rise at the mention of the new detective. “Pale skin, blue eyes. Looked sort of like a handsome goldfish.”

Pepper snorted and then laughed. “That’s Connor Tierney. I knew there was something fishy about him.”

“Where did he come from?”

The laugh turned to a scowl. “He transferred in from the city. Thinks he can jump over people’s heads just because he picked up a bit of experience in a large urban setting.”

“Hm.”

“Handsome goldfish says it all. Cold. Slippery.”

It was my turn to laugh. “Don’t hold back. How do you really feel about him, Pepper?”

“How do you think? I knew him from the police academy and out of the blue he shows up here and now he’s supposed to be running an investigation? Get real. He doesn’t even know where to get a cup of coffee in this town. I would have been in charge normally, with Frank D’Angelo. Nick’s been here all his life and his father and grandfather were on the force.”

There was something else behind her comments. If I’d had to guess, I’d have said that Pepper didn’t entirely trust this guy.

“Oh right, Frank D’Angelo,” I said, bypassing the distractions of Tierney and Nick. “Your partner. Looks like he should be on Mount Rushmore.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, chiseled face. Never smiles.” I remembered the crazy crush that Margaret had developed on him. We’d called him Tall, Dark, and Granite. I decided not to mention this to Pepper in case partnership trumped friendship in the secret-spilling category.

“Frank’s been on a task force dealing with a car theft ring. He’s got a lot of years on the force, starting to coast a bit. This is good for him.”

“Oh right. I forgot. He’s a lot older than we are.”
And older than Margaret is
, I thought.

“No kidding. Forty-five.”

“Divorced?”

“What difference does that make? You want to hook up?”

I shrugged. “Just asking. I have some older friends who are always on the lookout for an available man without a lot of baggage.”

For some reason, I thought it was better if Pepper didn’t know that I suspected that Margaret had her date with that same Frank D’Angelo.

“Forget that. His wife died in a car accident three years ago. I think he likes being on his own.”

“Point taken. So the new guy—”

“Is single. Interested?”

I was, but not for that reason. “Thanks, but I’m taking a break from men lately. Been burned a few too many times. I just wondered if he was the type to do a good job with this investigation, that’s all. It seems like quite a high-profile crime and here’s this guy we’ve never seen before.”

Pepper peered at me through narrowed eyes.

I continued. “I wondered if I could approach him about the Barb Douglas situation. He might have noticed her at the scene. For all we know, maybe he spoke to her.”

“Pay close attention. Do not approach him with your harebrained ideas.”

“I was just going to—”

She pointed her finger at me. “I need you not to poke your pointed little nose into this situation, Charlotte. Do you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” I said, getting ready to leave. “Do they teach you to say ‘I need you to whatever’ in the police academy?”

She ignored that. “You must have heard that the victim in the trunk was a professional hit. He was shot execution style and dumped by people who knew how to cover their tracks and leave a message to others.”

“I did hear that, but—”

“But nothing. Do not get involved. Don’t discuss it with anyone. Go back to your closet makeovers and whatever else keeps you busy.”

And as I slipped into the Miata minutes later, I had a couple of questions to ponder. Why did Pepper have such hate on for the new cop? Was it merely because he would interfere with her ambitions for her dopey husband?

But more to the point, why had she lied when she said she didn’t know Barb Douglas?

I pulled up in front of the two-story house on Lilac Lane and stared at the green RAV-4 still parked in the same position in the driveway. I scampered up the stairs. If Barb had shown up, I could utter my little apology and get on with my life. The door was closed and locked this time.

Naturally.

I headed downstairs just as a tall, moonfaced woman in faded jeans and a paint-splattered green sweatshirt opened the door. Her cheeks were red, her feet were bare, and, even though that limp ponytail was about the least flattering style she could pick, there was something very attractive about her. Maybe the splashes of purple paint on her hands. For whatever reason, she was the kind of person you liked the moment you saw her.

“I’m here about the piano,” I lied as I hit the bottom stair.

“You are? That’s great. Come on in. I’ll get the key to the apartment.” She beamed.

I stepped inside. The entryway was cluttered with boxes on their way in or out. A tantalizing smell of coffee drifted into the space. At the end of the long hallway, I caught sight of a conservatory. An easel with a canvas explained the paint splatters on her clothing.

“I spoke to your husband earlier and took some measurements, and I think it might fit in my place if I move things around. But I realized that I didn’t take the time to try it out. How silly was that? Anyway, I’d like to check that out. Is there any chance your tenant might be home soon so I could run my fingers over the keys?”

The pleasant moon face clouded briefly. “Barb hasn’t been around these last couple of days, but I can certainly let you in. I’m Paula. I have the keys, and I’m sure she won’t mind seeing as she’s itchin’ to get that piano out of there. Hang on a sec while I get my shoes on.”

“I don’t want to disturb you if you’re in the middle of something.”

“I’m always in the middle of something, and you’re not disturbing me one little bit.”

A minute later she’d slipped into her battered Birkenstocks and we were on our way up the exterior staircase.

“I loved this apartment when I saw it this morning. What a great choice of colors and furnishings. Your husband said you chose everything. Your tenant was lucky to get something like this in Woodbridge.”

“We were lucky to get her. We were going to rent it unfurnished, but she made us a deal we couldn’t refuse to furnish it for her. She thought it was perfect, and she was in a hurry to start this new job. She didn’t want to find a hotel or anything while she set herself up, and she made it worth our while to furnish it for her. I enjoy decorating, so I whipped through that check and had a blast shopping. We’d already painted it and refinished the hardwood floors, so that speeded things up.”

She unlocked the door and we stepped inside. From my initial glance, nothing had changed inside the apartment. There was still no sign that Barb had come by and moved so much as a molecule.

“She’s very neat, your tenant.”

“Yes, she takes wonderful care of everything, and she’s always friendly and pleasant.”

“You were lucky. Well, I’ll just try the piano now and be out of your hair in a minute.” I crossed the floor to the piano, hoping I’d remember at least one of the scales from my childhood enforced practices. “Oh look, that’s so adorable, those heart-shaped placemats. Where did you get those? I’d love to pick some up for Valentine’s Day.”

She looked puzzled. “What . . . ? Oh right. Barb must have found those somewhere. Nothing to do with me. But they are cute, aren’t they?”

“Guess she had some romantic dinner planned for her boyfriend.”

“I suppose so. Perhaps that’s where she is now.”

“Oh right, you mentioned she’d been away.”

“Yes, and it’s not my business of course, but I’ve been a bit worried about her. But I imagine he surprised her with a special trip or something and she didn’t have time to call.” A look of hope flooded her round face.

“He?”

“The man she was seeing. I guess you could call him her boyfriend. Silly. He wasn’t a boy anymore.”

“It is a ridiculous expression, isn’t it?”

“For sure. They really hit it off. That must be it. Perhaps she took Diablo to a pet sitter and brought the crate back here.”

“Oh right, Diablo the cat. Your husband was worried about that cat. Did Barb have a pet sitter?”

“She might have. I’m just the landlady. I mean we’re friendly, but not exactly family, you know. I don’t know that much about her.”

“Of course.”

“Even so, Jim and I would have been happy to look after Diablo. Well, I would have been. I love cats, even that one, but . . .”

“But?”

“She didn’t ask, did she?” The anxious expression on her face deepened. “I think I should have told her that I’d be willing, I should have made it clear. But, look, I shouldn’t be bothering you about this. I think I’m worried about nothing at all. Probably just a little fling. So, what do you think about the piano?”

“What? Oh right, the piano.”

Something flickered across Paula’s face, a bit of suspicion taking over from the anxiety. I decided, considerably behind schedule, that honesty might be the best policy.

I said, “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you.”

She stepped back, surprised.

“I actually came here to see Barb Douglas.” I left out the part about the apology and the controversy at work.

“You mean you lied? But why?”

I could tell she was deeply disappointed in me. Frankly, I couldn’t blame her. “Just about the piano. I didn’t intend to. Your husband assumed that I was here to see it, and I didn’t set him straight because I was worried about her.”

“You were already worried about her? And you snooped in her apartment under false pretenses? I don’t get it.”

I nodded, feeling equal parts creepy and sleazy. “It just sort of happened naturally.”

“Huh.”

“Yes, I know. But she left work under really strange circumstances, practically ran someone off the road. And then she didn’t show up today, even though it was important for her to be there. The woman she works for is very worried. And so are . . . some of her colleagues. And so, apparently, are you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at me. “If you don’t mind me saying so, wouldn’t it make more sense to call the police, rather than waste time doing whatever you were doing?”

“Yes. It would have. That’s the first thing I thought of. And I already spoke to a police contact about it.”

“You did?”

I shrugged. “Sure, it’s the first thing you think of, but I’ve been told she’s an adult and she’s free to do whatever she wants. She has no legal obligation to go to work. So I thought I’d check to see if she was sick. That’s when the, um, misunderstanding happened. I didn’t correct it because I was alarmed by the open door, and then your husband told me about Diablo.”