Murder with a Twist (17 page)

forty

By late afternoon, Audrey
had been released. The DA had not yet decided if he was going to pursue his case against her, but Max was confident that it was only a matter of time before he dropped all charges. In the meantime, Audrey had surrendered her passport and promised not to leave town.

Olive was overjoyed at the news. She hugged Audrey fiercely and sobbed with relief when she saw her. We had all gathered at Max’s for Audrey’s homecoming. Audrey appeared pale and
almost in shock. “So, Leo was poisoned?” she asked us
.

I nodded. “That’s what the coroner thinks.”

Audrey looked at me in disbelief. “This is all so surreal. I feel as if I’m in a dream. Well, more of a nightmare really.”

Olive patted her hand. “I know, dear. But the worst is over. You’ll see. You will be happy again. You will be strong again. You will be
you
again.”

Audrey looked down at her hands. She twisted her wedding ring a few times and then removed it, placing it on the table in front of her. Skippy moved toward her and laid his head on her lap. Audrey smiled at him and began to pet his head. “I hope so,” she said. “I’d like to think that will happen. I don’t like who I became when I was with Leo. I was so obsessed with making him happy that I didn’t notice how miserable I was. I let myself get lost along the way.”

Olive clutched Audrey’s hands in hers. Skippy gave her a baleful look at the loss of her attention. “You don’t know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say that, my dear,” she said. “I know it’s been a terrible time for you, but maybe now the fog is finally lifting. Maybe now you’ll be able to once again see things clearly.”

Daphne had been sitting quietly on the couch, nervously chewing at her fingernails. She now said, “Audrey? I just want you to know how ashamed I am for what I did. I never should have taken money from your account. When I think about everything that’s happened, I can’t help wondering if it all could have been avoided had I just been honest. I’m so, so sorry.”

Audrey produced a faint smile. “It’s okay, Daph. I understand. When you’re desperate you do desperate things. If anyone understands that, it’s me. Look at me. I removed evidence that Leo had killed that woman. I sat back and did nothing while he tried to blackmail you. I was so worried about how we appeared that I lost sight of myself. I lost sight of what’s right. I just want you all to know that I appreciate you sticking by me. And I promise, I will never lose myself again.”

“We’re family, Audrey,” said Max with a kind smile. “We stick by one another, good times and bad. The important thing is that you are home. And that calls for a drink. What can I get everyone?”

Orders were duly placed, and Toby offered to help Max fill them. When they left the room, Olive whispered to Audrey, “Now,
there’s
a young man you can count on.”

Daphne rolled her eyes, “Subtle, Mother. Very subtle.”

Audrey smiled. “Toby is amazing, and I’d be very lucky if he cared for me, but I don’t think he thinks of me that way, Aunt Olive.”

It was Olive’s turn to roll her eyes. “Then you’re blind, my dear. That man adores you. He’d marry you in heartbeat. You’ve been given a second chance at love. Take it.”

Audrey looked quizzically at Olive and then toward the doorway where Toby had just exited with Max. For the first time this week, her expression was almost hopeful.

Next to me, Nigel muttered in a low voice only I could hear,
“Call me old-fashioned, but maybe she should bury the first husband first.”

forty-one

It was late by
the time Nigel and I returned to our hotel. There was a message at the front desk from Janet Harris. She had returned my call. I hadn’t given her my cell phone number. I wanted to make sure I was alone when I took her call. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was too late to call her back. It would have to wait until morning. Which was just as well; I suspected I wasn’t going to like what she had to tell me.

Nigel took off his blazer when we got back to our room and flung it on the bed. Skippy stared mournfully at the occupied space. “I’m making a drink,” he said. “Would you like one?”

“Yes, please,” I answered as I retrieved his coat and hung it up in the closet. Skippy jumped up onto the vacated spot and settled in. I opted for the chair. Nigel returned with my drink and sat in the other chair.

“Cheers,” he said as he clinked his glass against mine.

“Back ’atcha,” I replied.

“I have one quick housekeeping item that we need to go over,” he
said as he stretched his legs onto the ottoman.

“I’m all ears,” I replied, taking a sip.

He produced an exaggerated leer. “Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart. What I wanted to talk to you about is this; as you know, we are scheduled to return home tomorrow.”

“This is true.”

“However, I suspect that we aren’t, are we?”

I took another sip. “Is that going to be a problem?” I asked.

He looked at me, his expression somber. “I don’t know, is it?”

“That depends on what Janet Harris has to tell me,” I said.

Nigel nodded and stared at his shoes. “That’s what I was afraid you were going to say.”

“I don’t have to ask her, you know. We can just leave as planned if you’d prefer.”

Nigel looked at me and smiled. “I appreciate the offer. But I think I’d feel a little dirty if we did that.” He paused. “And not in the good way.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” I said.

“To Janet Harris,” he said, clinking my glass again.

“To Janet Harris,” I repeated.

forty-two

I called Janet Harris
first thing the next morning. It wasn’t a very long conversation, but she told me what I needed to know. My next call was to Frank Little. I explained to him that I wanted to rent out his restaurant for dinner that evening and why his cooperation was necessary.

“This ain’t going to jeopardize Danny’s probation, is it?” he asked.

“It shouldn’t. I’ll make sure Detective Garcia knows everything,” I promised. “Danny’s involvement shouldn’t be an issue.”

He paused, and then said, “Fine. We have a deal. I’ll have everything ready for you for seven o’clock.”

I thanked him and hung up. Then I called Marcy while Nigel called his family. When all the calls were made, Nigel made us each a very strong Bloody Mary. Then we went back to bed for an hour.

_____

By late afternoon all was ready. I’d arranged for a limo to ferry all of us to the restaurant. Everyone piled in and the mood was almost celebratory. Even Olive was pleased by my efforts until the limo pulled up in front of Little’s Vittles. “
This
is where you are taking us to eat?” she asked me, her voice horrified.

When I answered that it indeed was, her face grew pale. She pulled
out her purse and rummaged through it for her pills. Taking one, she
closed her eyes as if to speed up the effects.

Nigel got out first and helped everyone out of the car. “How did you ever find this place?” Toby asked me once he was on the street.

“An old acquaintance runs it,” I answered.

Toby shot a dubious glance at the glowing neon sign. “I see. Is it Zagat-rated?” he asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I answered. “Speaking of which, I’d avoid the veal.”

Toby looked at me in some alarm before taking Audrey’s arm and
escorting her to the entrance. Nigel ushered Max, Olive, and Daphne in while Skippy and I brought up the rear. Danny was waiting at the door for us, his expression truculent. “Good evening, Mrs. Martini,” he said upon seeing me. “We have your table ready.”

I smiled brightly. “Why, thank you, Danny,” I said. “I’m sure everything will be up to your usual standards.”

Danny looked at me suspiciously. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“Just what it does,” I replied. “Oh, and Danny?”

He turned his head and regarded me with faint irritation. “What?”

“Before I forget. If you ever call my hotel room, house, apartment, or cell phone for that matter and threaten me again, I will personally see that both your knees are broken beyond repair.” I ended my statement with a smile.

Danny’s expression of irritation quickly morphed into one of surprise. “How did you
…
” He made a lame attempt to deny it. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t even try it, Danny. I know it was you who called me the other morning. Normally I wouldn’t make a big fuss, but Mr. Martini is very particular about his beauty sleep. Now, here’s my last piece of advice to you,” I leaned in close. “Whatever underhanded scheme you have going on here at this place, I’d end it right now. Because my friend Marcy, or as you know her, Detective Garcia, will sniff it out and before you know it, you’ll be right back in prison with a full dance card.”

Danny blinked at me. I smiled. A thin young man wearing a white waiter’s jacket and sporting a large Adam’s apple approached our group and beckoned for us to follow him the table. As we did, another man approached and tapped me on my arm. He was tall and fleshy with light sandy hair fashioned into a doubtful comb-over. “Mrs. Martini?” he asked.

I admitted that I was. He produced a rather oily smile, and I suddenly recognized him. “You’re Flynn Sawyer, aren’t you? The lawyer?”

He smiled, pleased at my recognition. “Yes, that’s correct. I represent Mr. Little here,” he said, indicating Danny.

“I see,” I answered. “Congratulations. I’m sure he’s a very lucrative client.”

Danny produced a growling noise. I ignored him.

“Well,” Flynn replied. “I want to make sure that you understand that I am here to see that Mr. Little’s rights are not violated.”

“Oh, please,” I said with a scoff, “the only thing in danger of being violated tonight is my digestive system. Besides, Danny and I understand each other. Don’t we, Danny?” Danny jerked his head into a semblance of a nod. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said, “I need to attend to my guests.”

Danny and Flynn went to the bar and took a seat, while Nigel and I made our way to the table. As I’d arranged, we were the restaurant’s only customers. “I just want to take a moment again to thank everyone for joining Nigel and me for our last night out in New York. I know it’s been a difficult week.”

There were muted sounds of greetings and a few uneasy glances. I took a seat at one end of the table, while Nigel sat opposite me at the other end. The waiter passed around menus and took our drink orders. Olive’s eyes grew wide as she read the dinner options. She reached for her purse and downed another pill.

Max cleared his throat and said, “Well, thank you for inviting us all out to dinner, Nigel and Nic. It was very kind of you.” His voice trailed off as his gaze met with the image of Danny
à
la God on the back wall.

I smiled. “Thank you. Nigel and I wanted to get everyone together one last time before we head home. It’s been a hellish week for everyone, especially Audrey.” Everyone now turned to Audrey, who ducked her head awkwardly. “Nigel and I thought that maybe tonight could provide a little closure.” Next to her, as always, was Toby. He patted her hand in a comforting gesture. Hearing my words, he glanced at me sharply.

“What do you mean by closure?” he asked.

“An end. A conclusion.” I clarified.

“I don’t think there’s any need for that,” Max said. “Leo is dead, and Audrey needs to move forward, not dwell in the past.”

“I quite agree,” I said, “but I don’t think that anyone will be able to move on until Leo’s killer is identified. Otherwise a cloud of suspicion will always follow Audrey.”

“Yes, but that’s for the police to determine,” said Olive, her voice unnaturally calm. “There’s no need for you to get involved. Unless you’re saying that you know who killed Leo.”

“Well, that’s just it,” I said. “I do.”

forty-three

No one spoke. From
the other end of the table, Nigel gave me an encouraging nod to continue. I took a deep breath and did so. “As most of you now know, Leo owed a great deal of money to a man named Fat Saul. When Fat Saul decided to call in the entire loan, Leo found himself in a tight spot. He didn’t have the money and although he knew that Audrey would get it for him if he asked, the amount was so large that she would need Max and Olive to approve the withdrawal. He rightly assumed that they would never agree to such a thing.” I paused as the waiter returned with our drink orders. No one else spoke. They all seemed very intent on taking a sip of their drinks.

The waiter gave a nervous cough and said, “Can I make you an offer you can’t refuse?”

Everyone turned to him in confusion. “Excuse me?” I finally asked.

He coughed again nervously and explained. “Um … it’s what I’m supposed to say before I tell you about the appetizer specials.”

I stared at him for a beat, and then turned to where Danny was sitting at the bar. “Really?” I asked. “
Really?
”

Danny just shrugged. I turned back to the waiter. “Okay. Let’s hear them.”

He coughed again. “We have A Salt and Battery Fish and Chips . . . ”

“Done,” said Nigel. The waiter looked at Nigel in confusion. “There’s also the You Won’t Be Sorry Calamari,” he continued.

“We’ll have both of those,” I said. He nodded and headed to the kitchen. I paused and took a sip of water. “Now, as it happened, Leo had gotten … friendly … with a woman named Lizzy Marks,” I continued. “Lizzy also went by the name Betty Morgan, who, as you all know, used to work for Max.” Everyone turned to look at Max. “When Daphne found out that Betty had been sharing her favors with various clients, including one that Daphne was seeing, Daphne had her fired.” They now turned their attention to Daphne. I took another sip of water. “Unfortunately for Daphne, Betty knew something rather damning about Daphne. She knew that Daphne had helped herself to some of Audrey’s trust fund money to cover up a settlement error. Betty told Leo, and they decided to blackmail Daphne.” Daphne hung her head. I took a sip of my wine this time and continued.

“Leo needed a place to hide while Daphne got the money, as he knew that Fat Saul was looking for him. Daphne told him about the Park View Terrace construction site. When I told her that it was Fat Saul who was after Leo, she made a phone call letting him know of Leo’s whereabouts. You know what happened next. Fat Saul ended up dead. When Daphne learned of Betty’s other identity, that of Lizzy Marks, she tracked her down. By Daphne’s own admission, she paid her a visit and they went at it hammer and tongs.”

Olive let out a high-pitched laugh. “They went at it like a couple of Jersey whores, is what they did,” she said with a grin.

Daphne and Max regarded Olive with wide-eyed concern.

“Olive?” Max whispered. “What’s gotten into you? Are you all right?”

Olive waved away his concern. “I’m fine. Don’t mind me.”

I continued. “Now, Daphne says that Betty/Lizzy was alive when she left her apartment, and I believe her. I think that when she left, she was seen by Leo, who then assumed that he’d been double crossed. I believe that he attacked Lizzy and killed her. When Audrey went to the apartment, she found Leo’s cufflink in the dead woman’s hand, and Leo later admitted to her that he had killed Lizzy.”

Olive let out an annoyed sigh. “Nicole. We already know all this. Why are you rehashing it now?”

“Because I’m trying to create the timeline leading up to Leo’s death,” I explained. “As you know, Leo came home to Audrey in time for her party, but first he collected his money from Daphne. He had her pay off his debt and then went out to celebrate. Of course, we all know what happened then. He made a rather splashy spectacle of himself at a strip club that ended up in several newspapers.”

Olive sniffed in disgust. “The man was a pig on all levels. The embarrassment he brought to this family was intolerable.”

“I quite agree,” I said. “However, when he finally did return home to Audrey, he was in for a surprise. Audrey had had enough. She wanted a divorce. Leo knew that due to the pre-nup he’d be left with nothing. So he did what he always did when his back was up against the wall. He got nasty. He told her that if she tried to divorce him he’d say she’d killed Lizzy in a jealous rage. Then he called Daphne and put the screws to her, telling her that unless she paid him even more, he’d reveal that he’d seen her leaving Lizzy’s apartment.”

Daphne put her face in her hands. “Why do we have to go over this again?”

“Hang on, I’m getting there. By the night of Audrey’s party, Leo had managed to enrage just about everyone in this family.”

“Well, that’s not
their
fault,” interjected Toby.

“I didn’t say it was, Toby. And, just so we’re clear, I include
you
in that group.”

Toby blinked twice before replying. “Me? What reason would I have to kill Leo? I didn’t like that man, I’ll admit, but that doesn’t mean I would kill him.”

“I would respectfully disagree with that assessment, Toby,” I said. “I think you’d do just about anything for Audrey. Especially if that anything meant that you got a second chance with her.”

Toby bristled. “Now see here, I don’t like what you’re saying.”

“Neither do I, Toby. But, it’s true. You wanted Leo dead as much as anyone else at this table. Why don’t you tell me what happened? Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision? You were visibly upset at his returning to Audrey. Had you had enough and just snapped, or had you planned it all along?”

Toby began to sputter. “Now, wait a minute!”

I cut him off. “What happened? What made you decide to follow Leo into the men’s room and kill him?”

“Stop this!” cried Audrey. “Toby didn’t stab Leo.”

I looked at her. “And how do you know that?”

She took a gulp of air before answering. “Because I did.”