Mahjonged (An Alex Harris Mystery) (17 page)

I balled up the paper from my sandwich and tossed it into the trash can on the side of my desk. “You know,” I said, sitting back in my chair and looking at my sister, “Els said something that’s got me thinking.”

My sister pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and leaned toward me, placing her arms on the edge of my desk. “You mean they were here all along and you think they killed her?”

“No. But I’m wondering about their mother. The first Mrs. Radamaker. I’m wondering if Detective Maroni can check with the passport people and see if she’s entered the country.”

“Their mother? Penelope and Pieter were married a long time. Why would the first Mrs. Radamaker suddenly decide to kill Penelope now?” Sam sat back in the chair and folded her arms. “I don’t think so.”

“According to Wilhelm, his mother always wanted to get back with his father. And she bothered Penelope and Pieter all the time when they lived in Amsterdam. Calling all the time, driving by the house and Wilhelm thinks that’s why they eventually moved back here. The woman stalked them endlessly.”

“So what? It was still a long time ago, Alex.”

“Yes, but Pieter died this year and Penelope wouldn’t allow the first wife to come to the funeral and I guess she really wanted to.”

“So she waited nine months and decided to hop on a plane and kill the woman? And how would she know Penelope went to your house?”

“Because she was at my house as well,” I said with a sly smile.

“Wait. What?”

“Maybe the first Mrs. Radamaker is actually Liz or Jean?” I said.

“You’re crazy. Really. That’s crazy talk. Don’t you think Penelope would have recognized the woman?”

“Maybe. Liz or Jean could have changed their appearance.”

“And accent. Because they sounded like pure New Englanders to me.”

I propped my elbows on my desk and put my head in my hands. “You’re right. It’s crazy, but you see,” I said looking up at Sam, “this case has really thrown me. I can’t get a handle on it. I don’t even know if Penelope was the one who was supposed to be killed.”

“Okay. So let’s say she wasn’t the right victim. Who, then? If it was any one of the other women in the room would you have a better handle on it? No,” my sister answered not bothering to wait for my reply, “because no one knew anybody else except for us. There’s no reason why anyone at your party would be killed.”

I still had the thought in the back of my mind that Judith already knew Penelope but didn’t want to bring it up, especially here in the office where Millie might come back and overhear us. “So, what are you saying? That it was an accident? That someone picked up the knife and looking for a cake to cut, tripped and stumbled, and the knife went into Penelope’s back?”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “No. What I’m saying is there was no reason why anyone at the party would kill anyone else.”

I felt like screaming, but tried to remain calm and smiled at my sister. “So?”

“So, you were right all along. The answer is in something that happened or was said at some point during the evening.”

I knew my sister just wanted to help, but what the heck hell, as she would say. I didn’t get anything substantial from our lunch banter. But for the sake of my sanity I decided to go with Penelope as the intended victim all along, which meant she said something to set someone off. Trouble was Penelope died and I couldn’t exactly ask her to tell me everything she chatted about during the evening, and whoever killed her wasn’t going to volunteer the information that had set them into action, so, I needed to recreate her words. But how? From what I had heard so far, she was in a good mood, laughed a lot, seemed easy going. She acted like a lovesick school girl when she talked about Pieter and their early courtship, and really had cherished her time in Europe. Nothing there to induce a knife attack. She did say one never got over their true love but unless one of the women at the party was her one true love and Penelope lived a double life, I didn’t see where it fit into the equation. She didn’t talk much about her job and I got the impression she hadn’t practiced law in a while. Once she and Pieter moved to the U.S., I don’t think Penelope worked. So what had she been doing all these years? I would have to ask Els.

I wasn’t getting anywhere thinking about the murder and maybe I needed a break. I spent the rest of the afternoon concentrating on my own business affairs. I interviewed a new applicant for the agency, a young man who just moved to the area and wanted some temp work until he could find regular employment. With the state of the economy, I figured we had him in our stables for a while anyway. He had a lot of qualifications and I sent him out to Millie so she could enter everything into our database and find him an assignment.

I spent another couple of hours working on a PowerPoint presentation Sam planned to give at a job fair the following week. Shortly after five Millie came in.

“I say, have you done something jolly with your hair?” Millie asked.

Ever since
Downton Abbey
had taken the country by storm, Millie had begun using lines from the various episodes. This one was spot on as I had done something jolly with my hair.

I leaned back in my chair. “Why, yes, m’lady, I have. Actually, I parted it on the other side today. What do you think?”

Millie shook her head. “It looks good, Alex. Makes your hair look thicker.”

She was right. I didn’t know why a part on one side would make my hair look fuller, but it did. Maybe I just had more hair on one side than the other. Whatever it was, I liked it, and as Sam had also commented on it earlier, I decided to make it a permanent change.

Millie handed me some work orders I needed to sign and then slipped a piece of paper onto my desk.

“It’s Mia’s address,” Millie said to me. “I know she’s not involved in this, Alex, despite how she acted on Friday night. Go talk to her.”

I smiled at my assistant. “I tend to agree with you.”

Millie, visibly relieved, sat down. “You do? Oh, thank God. I mean, Alex, I know what it looked like on Friday, but Mia wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“I still want to talk with her. She may have heard something from someone that could shed some light on this thing. You didn’t tell her about Saturday night, did you?”

“No, I didn’t. We talked a bit on the phone on Sunday afternoon but Reuben and I had plans so we didn’t talk long. She said the police stopped by but that was all.”

“What time does she get home?” I asked, turning off my computer and tidying my desk.

Millie looked at her watch. “She should be home soon. She usually goes home and then out for a jog so if you leave now, you’ll probably catch her.”

Fifteen minutes later I knocked on the door to Mia’s apartment. She opened it dressed in a pair of running shorts and a sweatshirt, her gorgeous blue eyes much more calm than they had been on Friday night.

“Alex, I was just leaving. I’d ask you in but I have plans later so I have to get my run in now. I walk first to warm up so you can come along with me.”

I wasn’t exactly dressed for an evening jog, but it looked like I had no other choice. Mia was already several steps ahead of me and I picked up my pace.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted the other night. I was, well, upset. I didn’t think I would ever see Liz again and it just unnerved me to see her out of the blue.”

“I believe you, Mia. I don’t think you planned on killing Liz and got Penelope by mistake. What I want to know is if you heard anything.”

Mia pumped her arms as she walked, building up steam, and I had to almost skip to keep up with her.

“Heard anything? Like what?”

“Well, like something that would get someone mad enough to kill her?”

“No. Not that I can remember. I did hear one of the women, the one whose husband hid upstairs.”

“Connie.”

“Yes, right. Connie. Well, she was talking to him, her husband, and he said something like ‘Why did you have to go saying I wanted to kill her?’ and then Connie said, ‘Well, you did. And now she’s dead so you don’t have to worry about her causing any more trouble.’”

I stopped walking. Mia took a few more steps and turned to look at me. “Alex, are you all right?”

I took a second to catch my breath. “Mia, did you tell the police what you heard?”

“Oh, yes. I told them that night, well, in the morning, actually, when they interviewed all of us. Look, Alex, I have to get going.”

“Oh, okay, you go ahead. Thanks, Mia.”

I watched her jog half a block and then turn onto a running path circling the park. I turned and walked back to my car.

I sat on the front seat with the door opened trying to catch my breath. I figured chocolate would help the process and grabbed a handful of M&Ms, popping them slowly into my mouth thinking about what Connie had said. So even though she and Bert lived apart, she was well aware of the complaints Penelope had filed against him.

And then I remembered what my sister said at lunch, that no one knew anyone else before they all came to my house. But that wasn’t true. Besides Judith, Bert knew Penelope and Connie had at least known of her. But Connie acted very shocked when Bert admitted knowing Penelope and having trouble with her. Acted. Maybe it was all an act. I shook my head. Nothing made sense. And then I remembered something else.

In a little town in upstate New York, there was a community playhouse, where on summer nights people would gather from far and wide to see a talented group of amateur thespians. It was a true outlet for artistic expression where talent and skill were honed, and where Connie Cabrizzi had acted her little heart out all summer long.

The next morning I sat at my parents’ kitchen table while my mother made me a cup of tea and popped an English muffin into the toaster. I could get used to this, being spoiled and catered to. Poor John. I hadn’t given him a lot of thought lately accept to hope he stayed gone a bit longer until I solved the murder. What kind of wife was I?

“So what did the police say last night, Alex?” my mom asked.

“Detective Maroni said they’re concentrating on Bert and Connie for now.”

“Does he think they did it together?” Mom asked while she set the toasted muffin in front of me.

I took a bite savoring the warm butter and the very crisp muffin. Just the way I liked it. “Well, he’s not saying for sure he thinks they killed her, but he’s got a lot of unanswered questions for them. You should see what Bert did to Penelope’s kitchen. Or, I should say what he didn’t do. It’s a mess. Nowhere near finished. If her stepchildren are going to sell the house, they’re going to have to get it completed first.”

“Is that what they plan to do?” Mom finally sat down with a steaming cup of coffee.

“They don’t want to stay here so I would imagine they’ll sell it.”

“Have you talked with anyone else?”

“I’ve talked with everyone except Bert, and I want to talk with Judith again about the doctor?”

“I don’t think there’s anything there, Alex. I know I thought so the other morning, but Penelope liked to flirt and the doctor is married…what’s that look?”

I hoped my mom didn’t pick up on my suspicions, but she’s my mom. Of course she would. She could read me like a book.

“Okay, don’t get all upset, but what if Judith felt jealous because she wanted the doctor and he only had eyes for Penelope?”

“Alex! You got mad at me when
I
brought this up. Why are you going back to this theory? You’re talking about Millie’s mother. Judith couldn’t hurt a fly. And besides, she said the doctor wasn’t the least bit interested in Penelope.”

“That’s right. Judith said. How do we know she’s not trying to throw off suspicion?”

My mother just shook her head. “I hope you’re wrong.”

“So do I. I also talked with Liz and Jean. Do you know anything about Jean? Family? Friends?”

“Not much. She worked as a sales rep at some point and she’s a widow, no children. She’s been retired since I’ve known her. She’s coming over today to play pinochle with Meme and Dorothy. Maybe I should keep her away from your grandmother,” my mother said with worry.

“Why? Meme’s done wonders with Francis. She was so lonely after Mrs. Scott died.”

“Your grandmother is trying to organize a camping trip. Camping. How on earth are they going to set up a tent?”

I left my mother pondering the thought of several octogenarians camping in the wilds of Connecticut and drove over to the medical offices where Judith Chapman worked.

Judith sat at her desk working on her computer when I walked in.

“Hi, Alex. What brings you here? Oh, my, you aren’t sick are you?”

“No, nothing like that. Just checking in to see if you remember anything else.”

“Not a darned thing,” Judith said. “I can’t imagine how the police are ever going to solve this.”

I looked around the office and wondered where all the patients were. “It’s awfully quiet. I guess that’s a good sign. No one’s sick.”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it, but no, Doctor Katz is off for the rest of the week. It’s his twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and he and his wife are doing it up in the city and one of our other doctors is at a conference.”

Judith didn’t sound one bit jealous about the doctor going away with his wife for a romantic get-a-way and I felt certain I could cross her off my list for good and then she opened her mouth.

“Rosemary is a very lucky woman. I hope she realizes what a catch she has. Doctor Katz showed me the diamond pendant he bought for their anniversary. The stone had to be the size of a marble and the hotel he took her to is the very best. I should be so lucky. Penelope never had a chance. Doctor Katz is not capable of straying.”

Judith busied herself with a few files on the desk while I tried to figure out if she sounded jealous or just envious and how did she know for sure the good doctor was immune to the advances of lonely women? Had she tried and been rebuked?

We chatted for a few more minutes and then I left. I sat in my car, looking out the window at nothing. After all my talks with all the suspects nothing came to mind. I had lots of thoughts swirling around in my head but nothing really made much sense. Yes, maybe the first Mrs. Radamaker had come to town and killed Penelope. I told Detective Maroni about this last night and he said he would look into it, but the slight smile on his lips made me think he didn’t put much stock into this idea. It did seem far-fetched to think the woman would wait all these years to get her revenge, but stranger things have happened.