The Unkindest Cut (26 page)

‘‘A crime of passion,’’ Marylou said, and Sophie and I nodded.

‘‘Exactly. The act of a jealous lover,’’ Sophie said.

‘‘And maybe the act of a man who was being pushed out of his lover’s life,’’ I said.

‘‘What do you mean?’’ Marylou asked.

‘‘We know that Avery had fired Crenshaw, right?’’ I asked. They both nodded. ‘‘We have only Crenshaw’s word for it that they made up after the fight. For all we know, they
didn’t
make up.’’

‘‘So Crenshaw would have lost out on all the money about to come Avery’s way with the bridge column, besides being cut out of Avery’s life as his lover.’’ Sophie nodded emphatically. ‘‘Yes, that has to be it.’’

‘‘I guess you’re right,’’ Marylou said, ‘‘But how could you prove something like that? Unless Avery confirmed with someone else that he had fired Crenshaw, permanently, then there’s no evidence that he did it.’’

‘‘And the case seems to rest on that,’’ Sophie said.

‘‘There might
be
evidence, for all we know,’’ I said, not ready to admit defeat. ‘‘Ainsworth just has to know where to look. Frankly, I doubt if this would be the only evidence, anyway. There’s bound to be something else. Blood on the killer’s clothes, fibers, who knows what?’’

‘‘You’re right,’’ Sophie said, brightening.

‘‘I guess this means you think Veronica Hinkelmeier is out of the picture,’’ Marylou said.

‘‘Unfortunately, yes,’’ Sophie said. ‘‘I wish it was her. Somebody ought to lock her up for something.’’

‘‘I don’t think there’s much hope of that, but surely by now the owners have got wind of some of her behavior. That ought to be enough for them to consider firing her.’’ I said.

‘‘I sure feel sorry for her daughter,’’ Marylou said, and Sophie and I agreed.

‘‘So what are we going to do now?’’ Marylou asked.

‘‘We have to tell all this to Ainsworth,’’ I said, ‘‘and after that, it’s out of our hands.’’

‘‘Yes,’’ Sophie said. ‘‘And frankly, I’ll be glad when it’s all over.’’

‘‘Me, too,’’ Marylou said.

I would, too, though frankly I felt sorry for everyone involved in the case. Avery Trowbridge had caused all kinds of trouble for those around him, and I thought it terribly sad that none of them had a happy relationship. Most of them were unpleasant people, and perhaps I shouldn’t extend my sympathies too far. I felt most deeply for Will Trowbridge. He seemed like a decent young man, and I hoped he would get through this somehow without being horribly scarred emotionally.

‘‘Didn’t Ainsworth say he would talk to us later?’’ Sophie asked.

‘‘Yes,’’ I said.

‘‘So do you think that means he’s planning to come back here?’’

‘‘I would think so,’’ I told her. I got up and went to the phone. ‘‘We might as well find out for sure, though.’’ I punched 0 for the operator. I asked for the room the sheriff’s department was using, and moments later a woman answered.

I identified myself and asked for Ainsworth.

‘‘This is Deputy Jordan, Mrs. Diamond,’’ she said. ‘‘Actually, I believe Deputy Ainsworth is on his way to your suite already. He should be there any minute now.’’

‘‘Thank you,’’ I said, and hung up the phone. ‘‘He’s already on his way,’’ I told Marylou and Sophie.

I had barely finished speaking when someone knocked on the door. Motioning for Sophie to remain seated, I went to answer the knock.

‘‘Come in, Deputy,’’ I said, stepping aside to let Ainsworth enter the room.

‘‘We’re glad you came back so quickly,’’ Sophie said, grinning at him, ‘‘because we’ve figured it out, and we couldn’t wait to tell you.’’

Ainsworth smiled at her. He waited for me to sit down; then he sat at the other end of the sofa. ‘‘Let me guess,’’ he said. ‘‘You finally remembered the story of David and Jonathan.’’

The look on Sophie’s face was priceless, and Marylou and I couldn’t help laughing.

‘‘Go ahead and laugh,’’ she said crossly. ‘‘I should have realized you would remember that story, too.’’ She tossed her hair back, and Ainsworth’s eyes gleamed with appreciation.

‘‘I’m not really trying to upstage you,’’ Ainsworth said, smiling, ‘‘because, to be honest, I was already ahead of you on that one. The David and Jonathan angle was just another pointer.’’

‘‘Really?’’ I asked. ‘‘So you already suspected Crenshaw?’’

‘‘Yes,’’ Ainsworth said. ‘‘We knew the victim had fired him as a business manager and agent. Of course, at first Crenshaw told us that he and the victim had patched things up, and that he wasn’t fired after all.’’

‘‘But that turned out to be a lie,’’ I said when the deputy paused.

‘‘Exactly,’’ Ainsworth replied. ‘‘We checked the phone calls that the victim received here at the hotel, including any faxes. He received a fax the night he was killed, and that put a different spin on everything.’’

‘‘Come on, now, don’t keep us in suspense,’’ Sophie said, tossing her hair.

Ainsworth remained silent for a moment, enjoying the view. ‘‘Right. Well, that fax originated from a number in New York. We found out that the number belonged to an agency, and when we called the agency, we discovered that they had faxed a contract to Trowbridge. And what really clinched it: he had signed it and faxed it back immediately.’’

‘‘So he had signed with a new agent,’’ I said.

‘‘And Crenshaw knew it,’’ Marylou said.

‘‘I believe so,’’ Ainsworth replied.

‘‘Have you arrested him yet?’’ I asked.

Ainsworth shook his head. ‘‘Not yet, no. I’m still waiting on a couple of bits of information, but I don’t think we’ll have any problem. Proving that he did it, that is. I can’t really say any more than that. In fact, I probably shouldn’t have said this much, but you were actually a big help in some ways.’’ He grinned at me.

‘‘Thanks,’’ I said, smiling in return. In truth I actually felt a little embarrassed. We really had been pretty nosy, inserting ourselves into this investigation, and we were lucky that Ainsworth had taken such a tolerant attitude to our ‘‘help.’’

‘‘There’s still one thing that puzzles me,’’ I said. ‘‘Why didn’t Crenshaw call my room to let me know the bridge lesson was canceled? He called Bob and Bart.’’

Ainsworth laughed. ‘‘It was a mistake on Trowbridge’s part. He transposed two of the numbers. Someone else got the message you should have received. We traced the calls to one of the house phones in the lobby.’’

I shook my head in wonder. Such a simple answer to a question that had made me rather uncomfortable.

Once again, someone knocked at the door. This time Marylou got up to answer it. Ainsworth stood up, preparing to taking his leave of us.

‘‘Mr. Crenshaw,’’ Marylou said. ‘‘Um, won’t you come in?’’ The strain was evident in her voice. Sophie and I exchanged startled looks.

Haskell Crenshaw walked into the room. He halted when he spotted Ainsworth. He smiled uncertainly at the deputy. ‘‘Sorry, Officer,’’ he said. ‘‘I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I was just coming to chat with these ladies for a moment.’’

‘‘That’s okay,’’ Ainsworth said. ‘‘I was actually wanting to talk to you.’’ He stepped forward and put a hand on Crenshaw’s arm. ‘‘Why don’t you come on downstairs with me now?’’

Crenshaw paled and swallowed hard. ‘‘Um, can’t it wait?’’

‘‘No, I don’t think it can,’’ Ainsworth said. As I watched, his grasp tightened on Crenshaw’s arm, and Crenshaw winced. ‘‘Ladies, if you’ll excuse us, Mr. Crenshaw and I have some business to discuss.’’

‘‘Certainly,’’ I said, and Sophie and Marylou also said something. I wasn’t really listening to what they said. Instead I was focused on Haskell Crenshaw’s face. He knew what was about to happen, and he was terrified.

In that moment I felt really sorry for him. He caught me looking at him, and he must have read my feelings in my expression. For a moment, he offered me a sad smile. The smile faded, and he took a deep breath.

‘‘Okay, Deputy,’’ Crenshaw said. ‘‘I’m ready to go.’’

Ainsworth nodded. He escorted Crenshaw to the door. ‘‘Ladies,’’ he said, inclining his head before he left.

The door closed behind them. Marylou, Sophie, and I sat there in silence for a long moment.

‘‘He really had me fooled earlier,’’ Sophie said. ‘‘He had me convinced that Basil Dumont killed Avery.’’

‘‘Me, too,’’ Marylou said. ‘‘I still can’t quite take it all in.’’

‘‘He was a very good actor,’’ Sophie said.

‘‘About some things, maybe,’’ I sighed.

‘‘What do you mean?’’ Marylou asked.

‘‘I think he really cared for Avery,’’ I said. ‘‘In fact, I think he’s the only one besides Will who did.’’ I paused for a moment. ‘‘You remember the old saying about how a man kills the thing he loves most?’’

‘‘That’s really sad.’’ Sophie shook her head.

We contemplated that in silence until Marylou spoke again. ‘‘Do you think we can go home tomorrow? ’’

‘‘I don’t know,’’ I said. ‘‘We probably should ask the deputy first.’’

‘‘I really would like to go home right now,’’ Sophie said.

‘‘I would, too,’’ I said. ‘‘I know just how you both feel. But maybe we can go home tomorrow.’’

‘‘What should we do in the meantime?’’ Sophie asked.

Marylou had an odd expression on her face. Sophie and I laughed.

‘‘I know, I know,’’ I said. ‘‘Play bridge.’’ I got up from the sofa. ‘‘You’re right, Marylou—we might as well. I can’t think of anything better to help pass the time.’’

That’s just what we did. As always, bridge was the perfect distraction.

Emma Diamond’s Bridge Tips

Bidding is a crucial part of the game. Partners have to communicate with each other during the bidding process, and ending up with a good contract is the outcome of successful bidding (i.e., successful communication) . Sometimes the bidding process is easy and the path to the final contract smooth. Such is the nature of bridge, however, that bidding can be like tiptoeing through a minefield.

Here is an example of a relatively easy bidding process.

You have just dealt the hand, and you assemble your cards to see whether you can bid. You hold

You have fourteen high card points, with five spades. With this hand you would open with a bid of one spade. Your left-hand opponent passes, and your partner contemplates her hand. She holds

She has ten high card points and four spades to an honor. With this hand she would respond with a bid of two spades. Her left-hand opponent also passes, and now you have to reassess your hand with the information your partner has given you.

With a response of two spades, you know your partner is telling you that she has six to ten points and spade support. If she is on the low side (six points), then together you have twenty high card points. This is not enough for game. If she has ten points, you have a combined twenty-four points. Again, this isn’t quite enough for game. For a game bid (in this case four spades) in a major suit you need a combined total of twenty-six points. With twenty-four points you’re a bit short. You might make three spades, but more than likely you will stop the bidding at two spades.

With those two hands the bidding process is fairly clear. What do you do in a situation where the process isn’t clear at all? For example, you have this hand