Murder is Academic (18 page)

He stopped me before I could speak. “I can see how eager you are to pursue the information on the condos, and it looks as if doing that would keep you out of everyone’s hair for a while.”

“You mean, that it would keep me away from characters whom I’ve insulted, hassled and won the enmity of in the last few days, right?”

“It would keep you away from trouble and potential danger. I don’t think you should take some of those threats from Rudolf lightly. And you’ve scared Bunny so I can’t begin to guess what she’s capable of in her hysterical state now. I also recommend we call Der when we get back to your house and you bring him up to date on your ‘interviews’ today. I don’t think he’ll be pleased with your work.”

“He never is.” I packed the remains of our food into the cooler and threw away our trash.

The sun was just beginning to near the horizon, and Guy and I sat side by side on our blanket, holding hands and feeling full following our dinner. The coolness of the night began to descend into the valley surrounding the lake. A few frogs croaked to one another from the water. Only a fish leaving splash rings as it jumped somewhere beyond the swimming area broke the lake’s still surface. It was a magic moment.

“I can see why you love living here.” Guy raised my hand to his lips and placed a kiss gently on my fingers. I turned to him and our lips met in a kiss so full of promise that it made my heart ache. The sound of the park ranger’s car moving down the road broke the spell.

“Time to leave, I guess,” said Guy.

“Well, if you still want to take that swim, I’ve got an idea. Let’s go back to my place, and we can swim off my dock. I’ll join you as long as you promise not to dunk me. I’m under doctor’s orders to stay out of the water until she’s sure my ears have settled down. There are no regulations there saying the water has to be tested before swimming.”

“I suppose there also are no regulations about wearing swimwear, either.” Guy chuckled.

We sped off on the bike, eager to get back to my place and take our swim in the cover of darkness. We quickly removed our clothes at the edge of the water in front of my dock and slipped into the cool waters of the lake. It felt like silk on my skin. Guy’s hands encircled my waist and we bobbed together in the soft waves as we talked of our families.

“I think you should meet my son when he comes this weekend.”

“Are you sure of that?”

“Of course. He’s supposed to get here around one. Stop at two. That way David and I will have some time to talk, and I can get acquainted with his fiancé.”

“Are the two of you ever coming out of there?” said a voice from the dock.

“Der. I didn’t hear you drive up. How long have you been standing there?” I realized that the moon was shining brightly on the water, and I had little chance of getting out of the lake unless Der was gentleman enough to turn his back. He continued to face us and grinned from ear-to-ear, his enjoyment of our predicament obvious. Guy moved toward the shore and put on his clothing. We had forgotten towels in our eagerness to get into the water.

“Say, Der, let me show you some literature I picked up on the new Valkyrie. It’s on my bike.” He and Der walked down the dock and up the hill toward the drive. I exited the water and sped up the dock and into the bathroom where I toweled dry and put on my robe.

“A brandy, perhaps, gentlemen, and I use the word loosely, at least for one of you.” I directed a pointed look at Der.

I poured brandy for all of us and we were just taking our drinks back out to the deck when Der’s cell rang. He listened rather than spoke and left off with a “I’ll be right there.

“Got to go, I’m afraid. Something’s come up at the station, and they need me.” He looked with despair at his brandy snifter from which he had not yet taken a sip, and he was off with a backward wave of his hand.

Guy and I sat on the deck, sipping our drinks and gazing over the lake.

“There are two loons who come back here every year, but they’re usually around the bend in that cove south of here. Some night we should walk over there and see if we can find them. I love their voices.”

Guy merely nodded and then rose from his chair.

“Time for me to be going.”

“You could stay.”

“I know, but it’s been a perfect evening as it is. We’ll leave it like that for now.” He wrapped his long arms around me and hugged me to his chest.

“It
was
a perfect evening.”

Guy left, and I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, throwing my robe on the floor and climbing into bed. I lay on my back for a while looking up through the skylight at the stars in the night sky, then turned on my side and fell into a long dreamless sleep.

*

Annie stopped by early the next day, and we were planning our morning of cleaning when Guy pulled up on his bike.

“I’m running late, but I’ll be back this afternoon and get right on the yard work while you’re off doing your research on the condos.”

“What’s this?” Annie looked puzzled.

I told her I thought the condo issue had come up so often and with enough negative reactions to merit my digging into its history. I invited her to join me in my little research project.

“What does Der think of all of this?”

Guy and I looked at each other.

“Oops.” I admitted we didn’t inform him of my project last night when he stopped by and left so abruptly.

Guy arose from the table and clapped his helmet on his head.

“I’ve got to run.” He planted a firm kiss on my lips. “I’ll probably still be here tonight when you get back.”

“I’m counting on it,” I shouted to his retreating back, “And I’m also counting on your taking me out to dinner.” The only reply I got was the sound of his tailpipes as he backed out of my drive.

“So things seem to be good between you do.”

“How about you and Ron?”

“We’re moving along nicely. Last night I helped him study for one of his law exams.”

“That’s his idea of a date?” I opened the door to the hall closet and pulled out cleaning supplies.

“No, his idea of a date is making mad passionate love to me on the couch after I help him study for a law exam.” She grabbed the broom and began sweeping the kitchen floor.

“You’re kidding!”

“Yes, I am, but I’m looking forward to the event when it does happen. Gotcha, didn’t I?”

We worked through the house in companionable silence for the rest of the morning, finishing in time to run into town and stop by a burger joint for lunch before we headed to the Onondaga Falls County Office Building. When I told the county records office what I was looking for, they provided me with the documents pertaining to the planning and construction of the condos on the lake. I sent Annie over to the newspaper office to check the archives for stories on the condos.

I discovered the corporation responsible for building the condos filed all the proper papers with the county and obtained a multitude of building permits all of which looked entirely legal. The newspapers reported only the most mundane stories about the construction of the buildings and their sale to the public. The condo board, an advisory body made up of several real estate agents, a member of the management corporation responsible for the day-to-day operation of the condo property and several condo owners selected to serve by all those owning condo units held monthly meetings. A member of the community at large also served on the board. That explained Rudolf Pruitt’s board membership. It did not explain why he would choose to serve on the board. I couldn’t fathom what expertise they were searching for in him. Although he claimed some background in water resources when we talked about his taking on chair of the board, his specialty was earthquakes, not lakes.

Annie and I shared our information while we sipped frozen lattes in the shade of an old oak tree on grounds of the county office building. The only question I could come up with for further exploration had to do with Rudolf. I thought it unlikely that he would simply wander onto the board with no provocation and wondered who might have recommended it to him, or, perhaps even better, who recommended him and why. Rudolf wouldn’t divulge the information to me. But Bunny Talbot might.

Remembering Rudolf’s comment to me that she had some papers associated with the Board’s past and his assertion that they might be important when the state began its environmental probe associated with the boat launch issue, I thought I should explore with her the significance of these papers. On the other hand, Rudolf might have been blowing smoke you-know-where, and there were no papers of any importance.

Annie reminded me that my supermarket scene with Bunny made it likely she wouldn’t speak to me again. I needed a cover to get to her. The newspapers reported that the board met the fourth Friday of every month. I assumed Bunny would turn over the papers to Rudolf before that meeting, which was just a little over a week away. With any luck whatsoever, Bunny still had them. And, if they existed, I needed them.

“Annie, do you think you could imitate Nancy’s voice over the phone?” Annie and I were heading back to the lake in my car, windows open, the breeze blowing the heat from our bodies as well as if I had air conditioning.

“Not if the person at the other end of the line was someone who knew her well, but if that person was a stranger, sure. I’d just need to talk real breathy-like.” Annie obliged by demonstrating. “This is (breath) Nancy, (breath) and I’m calling (breath) for, Rudolf.” Another breath and a tee hee followed Rudolf’s name.

“Good enough, but you can leave off the ‘tee hee.’”

“What do you have in mind?” Annie asked.

I outlined my plan as I turned onto the road leading to the lake. The only difficulty in its execution was finding someone to pick up the papers from Bunny.

“Is this legal?” asked Annie.

“Of course.” I said it with more conviction than I felt. “We need someone young, someone Bunny doesn’t know and someone who looks like a college student.” I was racking my brain for a likely candidate.

“My paperboy.”

“Don’t be silly. Your paperboy is fifteen, if that. He still has acne, for heaven’s sake.”

“We can’t be real picky here. College students are looking younger and younger. Bunny will never suspect. We’ll tell him to show up on Bunny’s doorstep and say he’s there for the papers.”

I thought it over and finally agreed it was the best we could do. Considering the time constraints, we decided we had to go for it now, this very afternoon. I made an illegal U-turn in the middle of the highway and headed back into town.

We located Jimmy, Annie’s paperboy, at his house preparing to leave on his route and we offered him a bribe. We would deliver his papers that afternoon if he ran an errand for us. After some haggling—the kid drove a hard bargain—we agreed to cover his route plus give him ten dollars in cash. Annie walked away from the car to call Bunny, while I helped Jimmy load his papers into my back seat. The less he knew about the details of what we were doing, the better.

“All set.” Annie climbed into the passenger’s seat. Jimmy was already in the back.

“Here’s the list of addresses.” Jimmy handed us a sheet of paper. “Please don’t screw it up or I’ll lose my tip next week.” We assured him we could handle the job.

We drove Jimmy to within a block of the Talbot house, dropped him off to walk the rest of the way and agreed to meet him back home after we delivered his papers. Annie and I sped around the city in my car, tossing papers out of the car window, sometimes hitting the right lawn, sometimes not. At the end of the route, we had four papers left over. Either Jimmy left out someone, or I missed several houses. When we arrived back at Jimmy’s house, his mother told us we just missed him. He was off to his clarinet lesson.

Annie and Jimmy’s mother took an exercise class together, so Annie was a familiar face. Annie told her we hired Jimmy to run an errand for us, picking up some important papers in exchange for completing his paper route and ten dollars.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. He sure took you for a ride. He would have done it for five, I’m sure.” Laughing at our gullibility, his mother informed us Jimmy wouldn’t return home because he was staying the night with a friend. We couldn’t bust in on his sleepover, so we left a message for him to call Annie.

No Jimmy. We had no idea what he did with Bunny’s condo papers.

Chapter 17

The plan that looked so good to begin with was falling apart. We couldn’t be sure Bunny gave the papers to Jimmy. And, if she did, I was beginning to feel anxious about those documents in the hands of a fifteen-year-old. I looked at my watch and realized the afternoon was gone. Annie was due back at her place to meet Ron, and I had promised Guy I would help him finish the yard.

When we pulled up to Annie’s apartment, we found Jimmy sitting on the front steps, clarinet beside him.

“You’re supposed to be at your music lesson.” Annie sounded like a scolding school marm.

“I know, but I skipped it. I hate learning the clarinet. I wanted to play drums, but Mom said no. Anyway, the lady at the house you sent me to was very suspicious. She didn’t want to hand over the papers, and she made me come in while she called the college.”

Oh, oh.
Rudolf or Nancy or both found us out. Bunny must have learned Jimmy was not one of Rudolf’s students and Nancy hadn’t called for the papers.