Ada Unraveled (22 page)

“The Stowall house is an official crime
scene now. You shouldn’t have been there.”

His angry voice was getting to me, and I
fought the natural reaction to lash back. He was clearly trying to
signal me something.

“First of all, I have every right to
investigate under the California Penal Code. If you need chapter
and verse on those statutes, let me know, I’ll be happy to send you
a copy. And which crime has your department decided to acknowledge
that makes the Luke Stowall house a crime scene now?”

Okay, so I didn’t completely succeed in
controlling the urge to mirror. And that question was way too hard.
I’d have to slow down. After thinking we’d probably been
disconnected Tom Beardsley finally returned.

He said, “It’s official. Jake Stowall’s
death is officially classified as suspicious by the medical
examiner. The level of snake venom in his body was six times what a
normal Western Rattlesnake could deliver in one--or even several
bites. In fact…” Another brief pause. I grinned. This was so silly.
“In fact…the amount of venom found in tissue samples taken from the
left leg could only have been introduced into the body
artificially.” He was being prompted, and reading. Loudly.

I said, “Officially suspicious. Wow.”

Sometimes I just can’t help myself. Tom
didn’t skip a beat.

“Jake Stowall died of a massive overdose of
snake venom. A large animal tranquilizer dart found near the crime
scene held traces of snake venom.”

I said, “What delivery mechanism..?”

He cut me off again. “They sell auxiliary
barrels that can be attached to the muzzle end of any ordinary
firearm loaded with blanks….”

He caught himself, or someone caught him.
Started anew.

“For a copy of the M.E. report you need to
make a trip downtown and fill out form twenty-eight
fifty-seven.”

Not true. Cops and sheriffs faxed us stuff
all the time. The mid-levels just wanted some face time with me.
And they were definitely midlevel managers; higher ups know better
than to do face-to-face over the phone.

No faces. No face-to-face.

It was so silly. Definitely dummies. Maybe
not even midlevel.

I sought clarification. “So, it’s a crime?
The Cleveland County M.E. has found Jake Stowalls’ death to be of a
suspicious nature, so we’re looking for a bad guy?”

Another blank spot in the flow of
conversation.

“Detective..?”

Beardsley said, “I’m here. Just a
minute.”

I was beginning to wonder why the guys in
his department hadn’t eaten him alive by now. He was a baby. Then I
began to wonder if brother-in-law Patrone had had a hand in his
promotion.

Alright, that was unfair. I have some idea
of the kind of boy’s games that predominantly all-male occupations
get wrapped up in. Tom was still an initiate. He was paying his
dues, no matter how dumb the games.

He finally came back to the conversation and
read some more of the details from the M.E.’s report. But I wanted
to know about Ada. I jumped in.

“How about Ada? Has her death been deemed
suspicious yet? You guys could begin your investigation with Ada’s
medical records at Cleveland Central. And what about the stink hole
in Ada’s backyard?”

Uh-oh. Too much info.

Tom said, “
Listen
, Ms. Lyons, it’s
none of your business what investigations we have ongoing here. I
mean, I can’t give you that information over the phone. The
department is currently working on finding two missing women. But I
have put you on notice that you are hereby ordered to stay off the
Stowall property, do you understand?”

So they still hadn’t been out there
yet.
I bit my tongue. My blood was boiling, but I’d already
made an error, discussing Ada’s medical records.

And now I was listening to a dial tone.

After starting a clothes wash, I pulled out
my cell phone and placed a call to the Beardsley-Pustovoytenko
family. I needed to warn Gloria that I’d let slip about Ada’s
records.

Maybe ask some more questions before the
you-know-what hit the fan.

Abigail answered on the third ring, throwing
me off.

“Hi Abby. This is Rachel Lyons. How are you
doing this morning?”

Silence. I bravely continued.

“I have a question about your father, if you
don’t mind my asking.”

“Ve do.” Abigail’s voice had deepened. I was
now talking to Gloria--she of the thick Ukrainian accent. I put on
my Ukrainian translator ears.

“You leaf us alone. I don’t like vat you are
doing. I don’t like dis whole dirty bizness…”

Uh-oh. Maybe the fan had already been hit.
In the background I could hear Abigail complain and demand the
phone back.

Her little girl’s voice said, “I’m sorry,
Rachel. My mother’s paranoid. What is it you want to ask?”

I cut to the chase. “What is the blood
disease your father suffers from, the one that has damaged his
kidneys?”

“Why?”

Like mother like daughter? Paranoid?

I said, “Comments I’ve heard for the past
week about the Stowalls would indicate there is some inherited
blood complication at play. Maybe knowing more about that will help
me figure out the mystery in Ada’s life, the one some of you
believe is captured in her quilt. And maybe the one that has
contributed to her death.”

Another pause later, “My dad doesn’t have a
blood disorder. His kidneys failed because of a reaction to a
medicine he was taking. He’s a diabetic. I don’t know what the
Stowall’s blood disorder is, but it’s not that.”

In the background this time I could hear
Gloria’s indistinguishable accent warning her. The phone suddenly
went dead. But at least now I knew the Stowalls indeed had a
genetic blood disease of some sort.

Thomas Beardsley called me back again later
in the day, while I was cleaning the kitchen.

“My sister works for you?
In what
capacity?”

He’d caught me off guard. But I was fairly
certain he wasn’t at work.

“Researcher. She’s now officially covered
under our PI license. So is Hannah Lilly.”

“What?!” I pictured him mentally wiping the
consternation off his face. He began again, more calmly.

In the background I heard, “Tom, really….”
It was Gerry. So he was back at her house.

“Stay out of this, Gerry.
Way out of
this.
You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into here.”
He was really upset.

I said, “Look Tom, since you’re at your
sister’s house, can you tell me what happened after I left last
evening? And….”

“Stop! Just stop.” He sounded exhausted. I
gave him time to compose himself.

“Look, Rachel, this is very dangerous.
Things are….”

I lost him again. But then he returned.

“I’ve been on duty for thirty-six hours. I’m
way past tired
. But…what happened is that Chief Pike was
called away by another emergency. Malvelli and Rotman took over at
that point. Nothing was done in the backyard. Whatever is back
there is still back there.”

Oh, no.

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s been removed.”

“No, they’ve been with me….” He stopped,
sighed, started again. “Okay, you could be right. But these guys in
the unit, they’re…you need to keep my sister as far away from this
as possible.
She doesn’t need this!”

His shout caught my attention. I began to
wonder if there was something else wrong. Something to do with
Gerry’s life.

In the background I heard Gerry arguing with
her brother. He must have passed the phone to her.

Gerry said, “I’m sorry Rachel, it’s…he’s
really upset. Tom’s going home to sleep. He’s not able to think
properly. Okay…he’s gone. Sit down.”

I sat on the kitchen stool. “I’m
sitting.”

“Sheriff Pike is in trouble. He’s been
struggling with these bad-actors in his department since he took
over a couple years ago. Tom thinks he’ll be recalled if he isn’t
careful. You know the Sheriff is elected?”

“Sure.”

“Well, Warren Pike’s aware that Malvelli and
his boys left without inspecting what you found and I’m sure he’ll
take care of it. Meantime, I’m afraid for Tom. He could easily be
demoted at this point, on some trumped-up insubordination charge.
There has always been a rift between the guys who are related to
the Stowalls and the ones that aren’t. No, that’s too simplistic,
and of course, my brother and I…. It’s between the good guys and
the bad guys, really. Not all Stowalls….”

Her voice faded away. Came back.

“Look, we’ll talk some more. I still want to
be involved. I just may not be able to do so overtly. And my oldest
children just came home from school, so I’m off to appear happy and
loving and feed them milk and cookies. Talk to you later.”

The next call was the real surprise. It was
Sheriff Warren Pike, calling to speak with Matt. I had to tell him
Matt was out on another case.

“But maybe I can help you, sir.”

His sigh carried his disappointment. I
waited.

“Okay. But I want you to understand, Ms.
Lyons, I never talked to you.”

“What is your name again?”

“Exactly. I need your husband to show up at
our inspection of the Stowall house tomorrow. Uninvited.”

Whoa, Nelly. I thought fast.

“I’m not sure he can, sir. I understand the
job he’s on will take several days. But I can be there. I’m also a
fully trained and licensed private investigator.”

“Yes. You are. And you’ve testified in
court, haven’t you. As a witness, when called to do so.”

“Yes. I have.”

Well, way back, two and a half years ago. My
side lost the case. I tried again a few months later. That time my
side won. A draw. A wash.

“Okay, be at Luke Stowall’s residence around
eight-thirty. The ME and their people will have finished their part
of the investigation of the house and property, and my own
detectives will have done their work by then as well. Then the
property will be available for you to inspect…as employees of Mrs.
Jake Stowall.”

What about Luke, and Eddie. Would they be
there? I wondered what on earth they had found to bring in the ME
and a whole slew of others. I glanced at the television, wishing I
had the news on.

Or was this still being kept from the
news?

“Thank you, sir.” And then he told me Tom
Beardsley would be heading up the effort in the early morning hours
and he would be fully apprised of my attendance, and he was
gone.

So Sheriff Pike was marshalling support
forces for a battle with the bad guys.
I knew Matt would be
upset that he couldn’t be involved.

First I called Hannah to see if she could
come with me, and she eagerly said yes. Peter, her husband, would
be home tomorrow and she’d already gotten his acceptance of her
working with us. She was about to fax off the signed contract.

I cautioned her not to alert the press. She
agreed.

After hanging up with Hannah I worried about
what to do with Gerry Patrone. Should I call her and involve her in
this? And how would Tom handle it tomorrow if she came?

My busy phone rang again. It was Gerry.
Hannah had just called her and she wanted to know what she should
wear.

Well, that solved my dilemma.

“Not those lovely leopard heels you wore to
the hospital the other day. Maybe something flat and comfortable
that you can stand around on for awhile.”

“I don’t have problems standing in high
heels.”

She was kidding, of course. I think.

He’d finished his mother’s second diary.
Mark was his father!
Luke was his father’s murderer.

Luke had come home with another woman and
was upstairs with the filthy-mouthed cow now. It was wrong. He hurt
them badly, beat them, raped them and made them scream. Then he
killed them.

It was wrong.
Eddie stood looking at
the top of his bureau. The gun. He wondered who had left if for
him.

It was loaded.

He had a loaded gun and he knew how to use
it. Because back when he was a boy his fa…
Luke
taught him
how to shoot.
Luke
…who killed his father
. Luke
who
beat and killed his mother.
Uncle Luke
.

The screams and thumping noises began again.
Loathsome. Luke had begun making howling noises as he beat the
women. Not high pitched like a coyote, but deep and terrifying, a
howl slipping in and out of a growl—like a wolf man. He was insane.
It was official.

And it was wrong.
He should stop
Luke. The noises made him feel angry. Made him feel dirty and
corrupt.

After Luke finished killing the woman, Eddie
would need to dig another grave out back with him.

And after that, like he was continuing some
kind of sexual ritual, Luke would beat him.

Because he could.

Because the beast needs to beat people.

He should take the gun upstairs and stop him
before he kills another woman. Or…Eddie could watch.

But then he heard the woman tumble-running
down the stairs, scream-sobbing all the way out the front door.
She’d escaped. Maybe she’d go to the police.

Maybe they wouldn’t believe her.

Friday, October 10

We hovered over Ada’s quilt like two
hummingbirds with busy minds instead of busy wings. It was early,
but our brains were as usual locked and loaded the minute we’d
climbed out of bed.

Matt spoke first. “I’m befuddled.”

“It’s easy.”

“Prove it.”

I grinned. That remark was usually a
preamble to sexual athletics. One of many secret codes we private
private-eyes used. But there was no time this morning.

“It’s easy,” I repeated. “Square one depicts
Ada and Mark in full happiness before the fall from Eden. Square
two depicts a battle between Luke and Mark, one that Mark obviously
lost. Square three depicts a sadder—and possibly pregnant--Ada now
standing around the apple tree with Luke. And…a snake, and…” I was
stalling.