Designer Detective (A Fiona Marlowe Mystery) (15 page)

Cody lay in bed with the blankets pulled to his
chin. I heard Jake and Opal talking in the kitchen. I sat on the side of the
bed.
“Cody, can you hear me?” I said.

He snored softly away, oblivious to his plight
and ours.

Jake entered with a mug of steaming coffee.

“Cody is in
Neverland
,”
I said.

“Yup.
I’ll sit this
watch. You get something hot. You feel better? You look great. Do you ever look
bad?”

I laughed.
“Never.”
He
should see me first thing in the morning without makeup. No, he shouldn’t.

In the kitchen Opal sat at the tiny ice cream parlor
table with two mugs of coffee.

“Thanks, Opal.
Just what I
need.”

“You look better. You feel okay?”

It was nice to have people interested in one’s
welfare.

“I’ll live. What time is it?” I looked up at
the rooster clock.
Almost midnight.
“I can’t believe
the time. I guess I missed my flight to Australia.”

“Were you really going?”

I nodded, sipping my coffee. “But I couldn’t
find my passport. That reminds me.”

I jumped up and rummaged around in the freezer
for the plastic bag I kept my legal papers in. It was behind a stack of frozen
chicken potpie boxes.

“Here it is,” I said, waving my passport in the
air. “I’m on my way to Australia.”

She smiled wearily. “Can we postpone our trip
to Oregon until tomorrow? I’m a bit tired.”

“Of course.
There’s a
comfy day bed in my studio. You can stretch out there for tonight. I’ll get you
some towels and a night gown.”

“That would be perfect.”

“Jake can have the couch in the living room,
though I think he’ll keep vigil beside Cody.”

“Cody will sleep it off. I wish he wouldn’t
binge drink like he does. I’m afraid it runs in the family. His father was the
same way.”

“His father was your brother?”

“Yes, all the youngest in my family were boys. They
were all drinkers, and they’re all gone. Cody’s father was killed in a car accident
when Cody was a boy. He spent more time on my ranch growing up than with his
mother. She fell apart when my brother died. Never took very good care of Cody.
As a boy he was always in trouble. I’m afraid trouble has followed him into manhood.”

“He’s gotten himself into a real pickle.”

“I don’t understand who those men were that he
has been having over to the house.”

“You remember them?”

She frowned.
“Not exactly.
I haven’t been well these last few days. Things seem a bit fuzzy.”

“Opal, do you remember locking Jake in the wine
cellar?”

“Me?”

“That’s what Jake said. Why would you do that?”

She blinked her eyes in double time. “Why,
Fiona, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

 
“Do you
remember telling me you and Hudson were getting married?”

She giggled. “Now you are teasing me. Why would
I say anything like that? I’m too old for him.” She finished her coffee, and I
could read tired in her eyes.

“C’mon, I’ll get you fixed up in the studio.
You’re worn out. Tomorrow we’ll decide where we go from here.”

 
After I
got Opal tucked in, I checked on Jake and Cody. Jake was stretched out on the king
size bed with the snoring Cody. His eyes fluttered open as I approached.

He rubbed his eyes and coughed. “What time is
it?”

“After midnight.”

He looked at Cody. “Who knows when wonder boy
will wake up? Is there any more coffee?”

“Sure. Are you holding vigil here tonight?”

“Someone should stay with him.”

“Why don’t you stretch out on the couch? I’ll lie
down beside him for awhile.”

“You talked me into it. I’m beat. I can’t keep
living like this.”

He rose stiffly from the bed and followed me
into the living room.

“Still want that coffee?”

“You bet.”

I poured another cup, heated mine, carried the
mugs to the couch and made myself comfortable.

“I guess we won’t make Australia tonight,” he
said.

“No.”

“Did you find your passport?”

“In the freezer where I put it, just like Olympia
said.”

We sat in silence. The rain beat against the
window. The night kept vigil with us. The slow tick tock of an antique kitchen
clock I had picked up at a yard sale kept time with our thoughts. The events of
the day receded. I was cozy and warm and snuggly.

“Do you mind if I put my feet across your lap?”
I said

He looked at me and smiled.
“Not
at all.
Want your feet rubbed?”

“I kill for foot rubs.”

He slipped off my socks. His big, firm hands
kneaded my feet in a soft, smooth motion.

“Where’d you learn to give a massage like
that?”

“Horses,” he said and grinned.

“Horses like their hooves rubbed?”

“No. Some like their legs stroked. I’ve done a
lot of stroking in my life.”

“I bet it wasn’t all horses.”

“Not all.” He smiled and smoothed my aching
feet into submission. “Pretty toes,” he said.

“Pedicures.
My one weakness.”

He smiled.

“Don’t you have any weaknesses?” I asked.

“Sure.
Lots.”

“Like what?”

“I used to smoke. I like alcohol a lot. It’s controlled
me some of my life, not so much now.”

“Gambling?”

“Not a gambling man. Never was much of a
speculator.
You?”

“No, I’m addiction free.” I laughed and so did
he.

“I don’t think so. You seem like a woman of big
appetites.”

I shook my head and laughed. “Not really. I
like investing money.”

“Not me. Don’t really much care about the
things it buys. Cowboys don’t make much. I don’t spend much. I have some
savings in a bank back home. That’s it.”

“Are you still driving to Oregon?”

He nodded. “Opal needs to go home. The lawyer
can handle all the estate business. She needs to get back to where she
belongs.”

“What’s it like on her ranch?”

He leaned back against the couch.

“Prettiest country you’d ever want to see. You
can see forever.
Big, big sky.
Blue a lot of the time.
After a night rain you can smell the sage in the morning air.”

“Aren’t there rattlesnakes and creepy things
like that?”

“Sometimes, but they keep to themselves
mostly.”

He put my wooly red socks back on. I sighed in
contentment and closed my eyes.

“Tired?” he asked.

“More like frazzled. I’m not cut out for this.”

He laughed. “Me neither. That’s why I want to
go back. If Cody wakes up in decent shape, I’m turning him loose, tell him he
better get his act straight, and get on back to the ranch as soon as he can.”

I laid my head against the couch and drifted in
and out of a
doze
. The next thing I knew, he was
taking the mug from my hand.

“C’mon cowgirl, time for
bed.”

He took my hand and tugged me along the hall.

“I’ll sleep with Cody,” I said. “You take the
couch.”

“I’ll not argue with you.”

He tucked me in beside Cody who snored on. I
was beginning to think he’d never wake up. Jake turned off the table lamp and
left the room. I heard him in the bathroom and that’s the last I heard.

When I awoke it was light outside. I lifted my
head. Cody was staring at me.

“Fiona?” My name came out in a croak.

I smiled across the pillow at him. “You were
great, Cody.”

“Oh, no.”
He put a
hand on his forehead. “Did we . . . . “

I was being wicked, I know. “No, we didn’t. How
do you feel?”

“Lousy. Is there any orange juice?”

“Yes. But first tell me, do you remember
anything of last night?”

He coughed and moaned. “God, my head feels
horrible. I remember being with the guys, then one of them said he’d drive me
home, since I guess I was in pretty bad shape. I can’t remember much past that.
Where am I?”

He gazed around the room.

“At my place.”

“Fiona, I’m sorry if I behaved badly. I’m sorry
I can’t remember anything. Did I . . . did I take advantage of you?”

“No, you were too drunk to do anything. Have
any drugs to go with the drinks?”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Maybe, I can’t
remember. Sorry.”

I threw back the covers and emerged with my
honor and sweat suit intact.

“What are you doing?” he said, elbowing himself
up. “Fiona, I’m terribly sorry about this.”

“Are you sorry you held a gun on us the other
night?”

He groaned and
laid
back down on the pillow. “God, I’m a mess. Someday I’m going to grow up.”

I stood over him. His lips were caked dry and
he had one puffy eye. “Where’d you get the shiner?”

“What?”

“Your eye is puffy.”

He touched the wrong eye.

“No, the other one.”

“I can’t remember.”

He went to sit up then lifted the covers and
frowned. “I could really use a bath room but someone has stolen my clothes.”

“Bath is in there,” I said with the point of a
finger. “I’ll get coffee going.”

“Thanks. Do you know the time?”

I checked the clock on the nightstand beside
him. “Almost seven A.M.”

“What day?”

“That I can’t be sure of.”

I turned to leave.

“Fiona. How did I get here?”

“Long story.
I’ll make
coffee. Your clothes are on the table and chair. They might be dry. You’re
welcome to a shower.
Towels in the cupboard.”

I left and made my way to the kitchen, checking
on Opal along the way. She was still abed and appeared to be sleeping. Jake was
stretched out on the couch with my favorite afghan in primary colors covering
the top part of him. I tried to be quiet as I made coffee. I searched the
refrigerator for the quart of orange juice I thought I saw there recently. It
was behind the twelve pack of beer and was past the date stamp but Cody would never
know. I opened the carton and sniffed.
Smelled okay to me.
I filled a glass, took it back to the guest room and set it on the nightstand.
The shower was going in the bathroom.

I performed my own toilet, pulled on a pair of clean
pressed Levis and a black turtleneck, and light footed it back to the kitchen.
Jake sat up on the couch as I went by.

“Good morning,” I said. “I’ll get you some
coffee.”

“Thanks,” he said, barely above a whisper.

I returned with a mug and placed it on the
coffee table. He had gone somewhere to use a bathroom, so I sat down with my
legs curled underneath me and flipped on the television. The local news went
over the same sad stories that never seemed to change. The weather forecast was
for rain all day. Roderick Smart came on with breaking news. Firefighters were
on their way to a fire in McLean. A second unit had been called. A picture
flashed on screen, and Roderick explained it appeared to be a large McLean
estate. The camera focused on flames shooting from the roof of Albert Lodge’s
lovely mansion.

“This
can’t be possible,” I said, trying hard to believe my eyes.

The reporter was saying the second fire truck
had just arrived. The roof was on fire.
Leaping flames.
Plumes of black smoke.

 
“It is
not clear if anyone was at home when the fire started,” said the reporter in a
yellow rain slicker.

“Hudson,” I said. “I wonder if he made it out.”

“Made it out of where?
Who?”
Jake said, coming into the room and reaching for the mug of coffee.

“Albert’s estate is on fire. I hope Hudson made
it out.” I jumped up and stood inches from the screen like that would help me
believe what was happening better.

“You’re kidding,” Jake said, watching the
report. More photo footage flashed across the screen. “You’re not kidding.”

“Because of the isolated setting,” the reporter
said, “the house may have been on fire for some time before a neighbor saw the smoke
and called it in. No one was found in the house. Anyone with information as to
the whereabouts of the family should contact local police.”

I gnawed on my thumbnail. “Do you think Hudson
set it? He wanted Opal out of there awfully bad.”

Jake said, “I hope not. I hope he made it out. Maybe
he had this planned.”

“It’s a brilliant idea to set fire to a house
you inherited, and you couldn’t keep up. Collect the cash and retire. Fire
would be a perfect way to settle the whole messy estate. I wonder what the real
estate was insured for.”

Then something that Hudson had said came back
to me and gave me pause.

“Jake, when I asked Hudson if he was now master
of the house, he said, ‘in a manner of speaking’. What if he didn’t inherit the
house?”

Jake shrugged. “Fiona, I can’t make heads or
tails of the inheritance thing. I never saw any documents. I only know what
Opal and Cody told me, that Hudson got the house. We better tell them.”

I hurried back the hallway. Cody’s door was
closed. I rapped.

“Cody, Albert’s house is on fire. Come quick.”

He cracked the door and stuck his head through.
“What?”

“The house is on fire. I hope none of your
buddies is responsible for it. There were four there last evening, and they
took out a load of rifles. That was before you arrived.”

“I’ll be right out. I need to dress. You don’t
have any guy clothes lying around, do you? Mine are still damp.”

Cody was about as tall as I and slim. “I might
have a sweat suit.”

I ran to my room and found a pink sweat suit that
was too big for me that I thought would fit him. It might be a bit small but it
beat damp clothes. I dropped it by his room then ran to Opal’s room.
“Opal,” I said softly and touched her shoulder.
“Wake up.”