The Death Card: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery (6 page)

Liz walked into her office after
saying good night to the last guest and making sure that Brandy Boy had a fresh
supply of brandy in case any of the guests wanted to ring the bell on the side
of their cottage and have him deliver a wee nip of brandy before they went to
sleep. Ever since the article about him had appeared in the San Francisco
Chronicle, Liz had noticed that she was spending a lot more money on brandy,
but then again the cottages were booked for months ahead. She’d decided it was
a pretty good trade-off. She picked up her phone and noticed she had a message
from Gertie.

That’s a first. I don’t
think she’s ever called me before. Wonder what she wants
. She looked at her watch
and decided it was too late to call her back. She knew Gertie’s Diner opened at
six in the morning, and she was sure Gerties would have to be there at least an
hour beforehand.

I’ll call her first thing
in the morning. I also want to call Seth and find out if the city or the police
force carried an insurance policy on Leroy. It’s beginning to look like another
busy day.

She had difficulty
sleeping because questions kept jumping to the forefront of her mind about
Leroy’s murder, and she didn’t have the answers. Finally she fell asleep and
woke to see the sun shining through the bedroom window.
Well, I don’t feel
refreshed, but at least I got a little sleep. That’s a start.
She got out
of bed and made a pot of coffee in the kitchenette of her living quarters which
were located below the main floor of the lodge.

The lodge had been built
on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In front of it was a large parking
lot. Her living quarters below the main floor had floor to ceiling windows with
a view of the ocean. When the lodge had been built, the architect had thought
to make it a two story building, carving the lower section out of the granite
it had been built on. Liz’s side door opened to the outside and steps led up to
the parking lot. She loved the cozy feeling she always got when she returned to
her suite which was not visible to anyone other than boaters and few of them ventured
near enough the rocky coast to see in her windows.

She glanced at the clock
and decided to wait until 8:00 a.m. to call Gertie, hoping that the breakfast
crowd would have thinned a little by then and Gertie could talk. When it was
eight, she picked up her phone and pressed in the diner’s number. The phone was
answered by a young woman who said, “Gertie’s Diner, how may I help you?”

“I’d like to speak with
Gertie when she has a minute. Please tell her Liz Lucas is returning her call.”

A few moments later she
heard Gertie’s voice. “Good mornin’, Liz. Let me call you back from the phone
in my office. It’ll be just a minute.” True to her word, she called back
immediately. “Sorry, Liz, but didn’t think this conversation needed to be aired
all over town, and you know what a rumor mill this place is.”

“I do, indeed. I must say
you certainly have my curiosity aroused. What’s it all about?”

“Have you heard of an
employee of mine by the name of Jessica Brown?”

“The name sounds vaguely
familiar,” Liz answered, absently petting Winston who was looking up at her
with big brown soulful eyes and telling her it was time for his breakfast.
“Why?”

“Well, she generally works
the dinner shift, and you’re always at the lodge then, so you may not have met
her. Anyway, when she came to work yesterday evenin’ she was pretty shook up. I
asked her what was wrong and brought her into my office. She cleans houses for
people during the day. That’s why she has the evenin’ shift here at the diner.
She’s working two jobs tryin’ to support herself and her two kids. Her husband
left her about a year ago.”

“That’s where I’ve heard
the name. She’s a friend of Bertha’s, and I remember Bertha was very upset
about it. Bertha was really concerned she wouldn’t be able to make it
financially.”

“She had good reason to be
concerned, but Jessica’s a wonderful person, and the customers love her. I
don’t know exactly how much she makes in tips, but I’d bet it’s quite a lot of
money. Anyway, she told me she cleans Madame Dika’s house every week. Evidently
her brother lives there most of the time.”

“You mean the one we saw
at the diner yesterday? If you remember, you told me you didn’t have a good
feeling about him.”

“That’s the one. Well,
when she was at Madame Dika’s yesterday she heard an argument between Madame
Dika and her brother. She was yellin’ at him and tellin’ him to stop seein’
those gangsters, so Jessica told me. Madame was cryin’ and kept sayin’, ‘You’ll
go to prison just like me, and it will break our mother’s heart. It was bad
enough I had to go. You’ve got to stop seeing them.’ He told her not to worry.
He said that he was just goin’ to work with them for awhile and then he’d have
enough money they could both leave this lousy little town.”

“Wow! I wonder what he
meant by that.”

“I don’t know. He slammed
the door and left, but here’s what really caused Jessica to be concerned. She
was cleanin’ his room. She says sometimes it’s real neat like he hasn’t even
been in it, and other times it’s a real mess. This was one of those times. She
was changin’ the sheet, waving it over the bed to make sure it was on straight,
and somehow it got hung up in the nightstand drawer. Jessica told me she tried
to unhook it and couldn’t, so she opened the nightstand drawer.”

“Why do I have the feeling
there was something in the drawer that scared her?”

“Because there was. It was
a gun. Jessica said she couldn’t believe it. Her father had been a gun
collector, and she said she thought it was a .45 pistol. She knew that guns
like that could kill about anything. That was just after she’d heard the
argument. She closed the drawer, pretended like nothin’ had happened, and
finished cleanin’ the room. Jessica didn’t know that Madame Dika had been to
prison. Matter of fact, neither did I. She said that plus the gun and
overhearin’ the argument really scared her. Jessica asked me if she should stop
workin’ for Madame Dika. I told her she’d have to make that decision, and I
couldn’t help her with it. I suppose it will come down to whether or not she
can afford to give up the money she makes while workin’ there. I’d be willing
to bet she doesn’t quit. She needs every penny she can get. It’s not easy being
a single mother.”

“Thanks for telling me,
Gertie. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do with this information, but I
have a gut feeling it’s important.”

“Well, since you’re
investigatin’ Leroy’s death and you’d been to Madame Dika’s, thought it might
be of interest to you. I can hear a lot of voices coming from the diner, so I
better get back in there. If I hear anything more, I’ll let you know.”

“I really appreciate your
help, Gertie. See you soon.”

Seems to me Seth said that
Leroy was shot with a .45. Seth also lost his .45. I wonder if there’s any
tie-in. Better give Seth a call and see if he’s found his gun.

“Red Cedar Police
Station,” the receptionist at the police station said. “How may I direct your
call?”

“I’d like to speak with
Chief Williams. Please tell him Liz Lucas is calling.”

A few moments later she
heard Seth’s oily voice. “Mornin’, Liz. Find out anything for me?”

“I’m working on it. Seth,
what’s the police department’s policy on insurance policies on its employees?”

“Police department don’t
have nothin’ to do with it. The city buys policies on the policemen. Why?”

“I heard that Leroy’s
ex-wife planned on getting the back alimony Leroy owed her from the insurance
policy the police department had on him.”

“Nope. It’s a city thing.”

“Okay, let me ask you
another question. Where exactly were you when you lost your .45 pistol?”

“Well, it was like I tol’
yer’ boyfriend. I was out at Madame Dika’s.”

“Where did you park your
car, and did you lock it?”

“Nah. Never thought I’d
need to lock it clear out there. I was parked in the driveway in front of her
house. When I came out, it was gone.”

“Seth, specifically where
did you have it in your car, and were there any identifying marks on it? If a
.45 gun is found, how will you know whether or not it’s yours?”                       

“I left it in the front
seat. Think I tol’ Mr. Big Shot Lawyer that Madame Dika don’t allow no firearms
in her house, so I took it out of my holster and just laid it on the front
seat. It’d be real easy fer me to identify it. Every gun has a serial number on
it, and when the police department gives a policeman a gun, they keep a record of
the serial number. All I’d have to do is look at a slip of paper I got in my
desk, and I’d know if it was mine.”

“Seth, would you take the
slip of paper out of your desk with the serial number on it and give it to me?”

“Sure. Jes’ a sec. Okay,
here it is.” He read her the number.

“Where specifically would
someone look on a gun to find the number?”

“Everybody knows where a
serial number is. It’s jes’ in back of the trigger above the handle. Ya’ can’t
miss it.”

“Thanks. You’ve been a big
help.”

“Mind tellin’ me why you
need this info?”

“No. I don’t know if it’s
important, but I thought I better have it in case I run across your gun.”

“Fat chance of that
happenin’. Probably in Mexico by now. Wonder what someone paid fer it?”

“We’ll probably never
know. One last question. Did you know that Madame Dika has a brother? Did you
ever meet him?”

“Nah. Saw a guy leave a
couple of times when I got there. Maybe it was her brother. I thought he’d
probably jes’ finished having his cards read, like me.”

“Seth, I have to go now.
I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Sure hope ya’ find out
somethin’. It’s makin’ me real nervous. Barely can ticket speeders, and ya’
know what that would mean to the town if I couldn’t do it no more.”

“I can well imagine that
the town would probably have to file for bankruptcy immediately if you couldn’t
ticket the tourists,” she said, instantly regretting the sarcastic tone of her
voice.

“Liz, don’t think ya’
unnderstan’ jes’ how important it is to this town. I can tell it to ya’, but I
can’t understand it to ya’.”

“You’re probably right.
I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s critical to the city. So long.” She ended the call and
decided to follow up on the idea that had been playing across her mind. It was
time to make another appointment with Madame Dika.

Liz had taken one of Madame Dika’s
business cards from the little cardholder she had on the table that she used
for her readings. She called the number and heard a recording say, “This is
Madame Dika. I am presently in a tarot card reading. Please leave your name and
telephone number, and I will return your call as soon as possible.” Liz left
the information and called the spa.

“Delores, it’s Mrs. Lucas.
Would you have Lisette call me when she’s free?”

“Of course. It shouldn’t
be very long. The massage she’s giving will be over in a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” Liz said and
hung up the lodge phone. It rang a few minutes later. “This is Liz Lucas.” She
paused while Lisette identified herself. “Lisette, I’m really curious about
Donna Morris. You said she liked her massage and told you she’d like to book
another one very soon. I’d like you to call her and tell her we hold a weekly
drawing, and her name was drawn and she’s this week’s winner. I’d like you to
see her tomorrow. Any chance you can do that?”

“Yes. Delores just told me
about a cancellation for tomorrow morning. Would you like me to call her now?”

“Please. See if she can
take that appointment. Here’s what I’d like you to find out if you can. I’d
like to know how serious her relationship with Anton is, how much time he
spends in San Francisco, and if she knows what he does for a living. Try to
make it conversational, because I don’t want her to think I or anyone else
asked her back here just to get information. You’re diplomatic, and I’m sure
you’ll find a way to do it. I’d appreciate you letting me know if she can come
tomorrow. Thanks, and Lisette, I’d rather you didn’t say anything about this to
anyone. As far as payment, tell Delores to put the massage on my account, and
of course you’ll be paid for your time.”

“I’ll call you later,”
Lisette said, ending the conversation.

Liz took some ahi tuna
steaks out of the freezer and decided to make an Oriental meal for dinner with
sesame coated seared ahi, warm Asian noodles, a sliced orange and avocado salad
with a vinaigrette dressing that used rice vinegar, and finish up with green
tea ice cream with fortune cookies for dessert. She was expecting Emily around
one, and depending on whether or not she could get an appointment with Madame
Dika, Emily could easily do the prep work for the meal along with setting the
table and getting the cheese trays ready.

The ringing of her cell
phone interrupted her thoughts about tonight’s dinner. “This is Liz Lucas.”

“Liz, it’s Madame Dika.
You left a message for me to call you. What can I do for you?”

“I really enjoyed the
question tarot card reading you did for me yesterday, and I was hoping you’d
have time to see me this afternoon for a full tarot card spread.”

Madame Dika was quiet for
a moment, and then said, “Yes, I could fit you in at 6:00 this evening. I
usually don’t take clients that late, but I’ll make an exception today. If
that’s all right with you, I’ll see you then.”

“Yes, that’s fine. I’ll be
there. Thank you.”

Swell, another night when
I’m going to have to ask Emily to take care of dinner. I won’t get back until
about the time dessert is served. Oh well, this takes precedence.

She heard a knock on the
door and walked over and opened it. “Hi, Lisette. I thought you were busy with
appointments all afternoon. Please, come in.”

“Mrs. Lucas, I’m between
appointments, but I wanted to let you know that Donna Morris is scheduled for
an appointment tomorrow morning at ten. I thought I’d tell you in person, so no
one would overhear. I told Delores that the Morris massage would be on your
account, and since you’ve done that before with friends of yours, she didn’t
question it. Do you want me to do anything else?”

“No, Lisette, you’ve done
well. Please call me after her massage and let me know what you find out.
Again, thanks.”

She looked at her watch
and saw she still had an hour before Emily would arrive. There was plenty of
time to call Roger and tell him what she’d found out. She knew he was usually
free around noon, even when he was involved in a trial.

*****

“Liz, I love it when I look at the
screen on my phone and your name and picture are on it. Makes my day!”

“Thanks a lot, Roger. And
please feel free to continue with the sweet talk. It’s music to my ears!”

“Wish I could, sweetheart,
but I only have so much time to eat lunch, prepare for the afternoon session of
the trial I’m in, and walk over to the courthouse. Pretend I’m sweet talking
and tell me what’s happening at the Red Cedar Spa.”

“Roger, Gertie called me
last night. When I saw the message, it was too late to return the call. I
talked to her this morning, and I’d like your input on what she had to say. I
found it troubling.” She told him what Gertie had told her earlier about what
Jessica had overheard and also about the gun she’d discovered at Madame Dika’s.

“Wow! I certainly find it
interesting that Anton keeps a .45 in his nightstand. And you know how I feel
about coincidences. Awfully coincidental that Leroy was killed with a .45 or so
Seth thinks. It’s also quite a coincidence that Seth’s .45 was stolen out of
his patrol car. Have you heard from the coroner? Has it been confirmed that the
murder weapon was a .45 pistol?”

“No, and that’s a good
point. I’ll call Seth and ask him. By the way, I talked to Seth about his gun
earlier today. I was wondering if there was any way to determine if the gun in
the nightstand was Seth’s, and he gave me his gun’s serial number.”

“Well, by comparing the
serial numbers we should be able to determine whether or not the gun in the
nightstand is Seth’s.”

“That’s true. I didn’t
know about the serial numbers before I talked to Seth, but he filled me in.
Jessica said her father collected guns, and she thought it was a .45.”

“I don’t think there’s
enough evidence to get a judge to issue a search warrant. It sure would help if
we could determine if that’s Seth’s gun. Wonder if Jessica could find out what
numbers are on the gun when she cleans the next time? Maybe you could talk to
her.”

Or maybe I could find out
some way to find out when I’m at Madame Dika’s this evening,
she thought.

“That’s a good idea. Let
me think how I can do that,” she said. “I believe I told you Leroy’s ex-wife
was planning on getting her back alimony from the proceeds of the insurance
policy she thought the police department carried on Leroy. Seth told me the
police department doesn’t have anything to do with the policies. He said the
city carries an insurance policy on each member of the police department. I
guess there’s a good chance she can get the money owed her. By the way, I
decided it might be a good idea to see what else Donna knows about Anton, since
evidently she’s seeing him.” She told him the plan she had come up with in
order to have Donna return to the spa.

“That’s a good idea. You
know how much I love talking to you, but I need to do a little work here.
Please call me after the guests leave tonight. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Good luck
this afternoon.”
And good luck to me this evening,
she thought
. I’m
glad there wasn’t time for me to tell him where I’m going this evening. He’s
pretty leery of Madame Dika. I’ll keep the gun in my purse and Winston with me.
I’ve got to figure out a way to get a look at the serial numbers on that gun.     

She called the police
station again and asked to speak with Seth. “I’m sorry, he’s not in. May I give
him a message?” the young woman’s voice asked.

“No, thank you. I have his
cell phone number. I’ll call him there.”

A few minutes later she
heard his oily voice “Afternoon, Liz. Caught me jes’ as I was getting’ back in
the car from arrestin’ another speeder. You’d think they’d pay attention to the
speed limit signs, but like I’ve said before, it’s good for the city coffers.”

“It’s a good thing the
city has you,” she said, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. “Seth, has Wes,
the coroner, gotten back to you?”

“Yeah. He faxed me the
report this mornin’. It was jes’ what I thought. Leroy ate the big one from a
.45. Tol’ ya’ it was a big hole.”

“Thanks. Did you find out
anything about your .45?”

“Nah. Dang thing jes’
wants to stay lost, and I’m purty sure it’s in Mexico by now. Guess I’ll have
to get ‘nother one issued to me. A cop without a gun ain’t a purty sight.
Kinda’ makes people doubt my credibility, if you know what I mean.”

Yeah, so does that food
stained shirt you wear every day. I’m sure you’re the laughingstock of the
force, and to think you’re the chief! What in the world were the good voters of
Red Cedar thinking when they elected you?

“That would probably be a
good idea,” she said. “Someone’s knocking on the door. It’s probably Emily.
Talk to you later.”

“Good afternoon, Emily.
Come in,” she said to the young woman who had been Mark’s girlfriend. He was
the young chef who had worked as an intern at the Lodge before he was murdered.
Emily had taken his place and after interning for Liz for a few months, Liz had
hired her on a full time basis. Emily was a natural when it came to cooking,
and as busy with guests as the cottages and spa had become, Liz was very glad
to have her.

“Emily, I’m sorry to do
this again, but I have an appointment tonight at 6:00, so you’ll have to take
care of dinner. I have everything pretty much laid out for you, and I’ll be
able to help you before I leave. I think we also need to get as much done as we
can for tomorrow’s dinner.”

The young woman walked
over to the drawer where the aprons were kept, took one out, put it over her
head and said, “I’m ready. Just tell me what you want done.”