Between the Sheets, page 5
I can't have him busting through the catio screen. What would Viv say?
At that moment Viv came through the glass door. From underneath her wide-brimmed straw hat, she looked at Kevin and then Miss Kitty. "She knows that’s her territory," she stated calmly.
Rex felt embarrassed. He was unwilling to look incompetent in Viv's eyes. So he stood still, calling out in a calm and reasoned voice, "Kevin?"
Kevin jumped to a crouching position, his front paws on the pavement, his rear end in the air. "Bork," he called. But that wasn't to Rex. The dog only had eyes for the imperious cat.
"He just wants to play," Rex explained.
Kevin edged closer to the screen. When he lifted his paw to scratch, Rex yelled, "Stop it, Kevin." He turned to Viv to explain. "My dog is getting frustrated."
Viv only sighed. "Miss Kitty is not amused."
"Bork!" came Kevin's next complaint. This time the sound of his paw scratching against the screen door made Rex even more anxious. It was only a matter of time and the dog would break through and race inside.
"No!" Rex commanded. "Get back here, you mutt. Don't you have any manners? Miss Kitty isn't interested in playing with you." Inching closer, he reached for Kevin's collar. The dog ducked and ran to the other side of the catio.
"You could get a leash," Viv hollered.
"I'd have to go back to my house," he replied.
Kevin now stood on all fours watching Miss Kitty, who lifted her paw for a lick.
With Kevin mesmerized by the cat's nonchalance, Rex inched himself closer. "It's okay, buddy. She'll play with you later." Reaching over, he grasped the dog's collar. "Got ya!" Rex felt back in control.
Viv spoke. "Come over here. I found this. It should help." She handed him a belt. "Hook it around the collar. It will save your hand."
"Thanks," he muttered.
Viv sat down. He sat next to her, Kevin to the side of his chair once again. This time the dog lay on the concrete with a big sigh.
As the silence grew, Rex felt a pang of worry. She's been awfully quiet today. Was it Kevin, or maybe it's me…
"Hey," he began hesitantly. "Is everything okay? You've seem kind of distant."
She spoke right up. "I have been kind of overly introspective lately. I think it's nice that you noticed."
His heart thumped against his chest. Was that all it took—just ask her a question to make her happy? He felt proud of himself. He got ready to ask another question but was surprised when he couldn't think of one. It wasn't often that Rex Redondo didn't have words.
"I did notice," he said hesitantly. "How can I help?"
She seemed to be considering his question because she pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose to gaze at him. "I think I'm at loose ends," she began. "I thought I'd be running a doula agency at this point in my life, but now it's just me. And frankly I don't have the energy to interview more women to fill the empty places."
Is this when I tell her that I'd be happy to apply as her next full-time job? For a lifetime, if she'll have me.
Rex sat back in his chair, amazed at where his thoughts had gone. He'd never been married or even in a serious live-together relationship. A single guy to the core of his being. Oh sure, by the time he hit fifty he'd thought about settling down. But there was always another sweet young thing admiring him from the front row that had changed his mind.
Until he met Viv.
"Does it help that we've taken on another investigation?" he asked quietly.
"I have to admit I liked investigating the last time. Not the dead body part though. That was awful." Her chin drooped. "But I haven't given up on my Desert Doula plan just yet," she said in a shaky voice. "It took a lot to set up the business and interview employees.
"I still have my phone hotline, of course. And I can still do seminars on birthing for new parents. But the truth is, at this point, I'm a one-woman agency." Her voice faltered. "At my age this feels like I'm being forced into retirement."
"I think I get what you mean," Rex said. "I keep saying I'm retired, but I'm not. I mean, who am I trying to kid?"
"It's different for you. You have a distinguished career in show business. It took me years to get back into a full-time business after raising my son. And now I can't imagine not working." Viv sounded sad. Then she continued, "I do still take classes on the latest research in birth and parenting. I get energy with that part."
"You've thought this thing through," he responded, a tinge of admiration in his voice.
She turned to him, a serious expression on her face. "So you're aware that's what you do, that you say one thing but do another? ‘I'm retired,’ but you're not really. I was thinking that you had no idea."
"Trust me, I'm aware. For what it's worth, Sutton calls me out on a regular basis. Most people aren't brave enough. But my ego isn't that fragile."
He took a deep breath. So that's what an honest conversation feels like. It's kind of a relief not to have to pretend.
No longer uncomfortable with Viv's silence, he closed his eyes. Appreciating the sun on his face, he let his mind wander. Peace settled over him as he realized that for now, all he wanted to do was sit by the pool with this beautiful woman.
That's more than enough for me.
14
VIVIENNE ROSE
The following morning Viv lowered the brim of her white baseball cap over her eyes as she stepped out her front door. She was ready to start a new day. It had helped to talk with Rex by the pool.
She felt better in his company, knowing that he could be a good listener. Plus once she'd told him about facing involuntary retirement, it didn't seem that terrible. Sometimes keeping things to herself only made her feel worse.
A bump at her knee brought Viv back to the present. Kevin scrambled toward her, wagging his tail furiously in greeting. "I always know what Kevin wants," she said, reaching down to scratch behind his ears.
"Walks, food, and the occasional toss of his bedraggled brown bunny." Rex came next. "Men and dogs have a lot in common. We aren't that complicated."
"I'll remember that." She stepped out on the sidewalk.
Rex clipped the leash on Kevin's collar. Kevin moved ahead as they walked side by side, until he stopped to investigate the base of a flower bed. As he considered his options, one sniff at a time, Viv and Rex waited.
"Just when I think this is the most boring landscape I've ever lived in, something like that iris blooms and I'm surprised." She pointed to the flower that had captured Kevin's interest.
"They're kind of dainty." Rex gently tugged on the leash. "Come on, Inspector Clueless. Don't take all day." Kevin stopped to lift his leg. When he was finished they picked up their pace again.
Approaching the first intersection, Viv noticed a woman with a baby carriage coming from the opposite direction. She wore a pink baseball cap pulled over her eyes. The wheels of the oversized buggy bounced along as she pushed from behind.
Her loose-fitting gray sweatpants dragged against the pavement. A matching top fell over her front and backside. She stared ahead without a greeting.
"Isn't she a bit young to live here?" Rex commented as they passed the woman. "Fifty-five and up. Those are the rules."
"Maybe a granddaughter of a resident," Viv speculated.
"Could be," he agreed.
A cry of a young baby alerted Viv.
"Somebody's hungry," Rex commented. "Or needs a diaper change."
Viv felt herself launch into a familiar lecture. "Babies only have a few needs, at least at first. It's when they get older that they become really complicated. I usually don't tell parents that because I don't want to scare them. But in my experience infants are just the beginning of the parenting demands."
"Is that so?" He grinned down at her.
"Oh, sorry. That wasn't necessary was it. A teaching reflex." She kept walking, only to realize that something about the young woman wasn't right. And then the wails of the child stopped as quickly as they'd begun.
15
VIVIENNE ROSE
Viv stood in front of her house. They'd finished an our walk in record time. "Want to come in?"
"Thought you'd never ask." With Kevin at his heels, they walked through the open door. Kevin began sniffing the living area. "So what does your day look like?" Rex began.
"I want to shower and then get back to work. I'm prepping for my next online class. People have already signed up," Viv said.
"And I need to move forward with the investigation," he said. "I wanted to find out more about our victim."
Viv thought for a moment. "Maybe after lunch…"
"That's perfect. I'll text later and we can head over together to check out Carmine's Fluff and Fold. Do you have any laundry we can take with us? Then we'll look like regular customers."
"So we're going incognito?" Viv smiled.
"Very clandestine. Just like a military op." Switching gears, he called out, "Kevin." The dog came from around the corner. He'd drifted down the hall and disappeared. "Meow," came a call from Miss Kitty.
"See you later. Come on, buddy." He took up the leash and opened the door.
After her phone call and shower, Viv sat outside. She liked to dry her hair naturally. Plus the warmth of the sun felt good on her skin. The clean smell of bromine wafted from the pool, accompanied by the sound of shuffling sprinklers wafting over the landscaping on the other side of the fence.
Her dermatologist told her early morning before ten o'clock was the best time to get some vitamin D without fear of the UV rays. Viv sighed, remembering her feelings of frustration as she’d left the doctor's office. When I was younger my health seemed less significant. But now every little ache and pain reminds me that I have to be careful about yet another thing I used to take for granted.
Sitting by the pool, she let her thoughts wander to Carmine Nelson. He'd looked almost content, lying in bed with the expensive sheets carefully tucked under his folded hands. Someone had made the bed with expert knowledge. The corners of the top sheet were tucked and the comforter looked freshly laundered, pristine white.
Carmine appeared happy, except for that hole in the middle of his forehead. Viv wondered for a moment, Was there any blood? I don't remember seeing any blood.
The dead man had a comb-over. Now that I remember. His shiny bald head showed through the thin strands. She ran her hand through her own hair.
I have half the hair I used to. She rolled a curl between her fingers, remembering how thick her hair seemed years ago.
Laundry! Viv sat up. Better not sit here any longer. I need to get ready for the Fluff and Fold operation.
Viv hadn't been to a Fluff and Fold for years. She'd had her own laundry room at home for as long as she could remember. Her only previous trip to a laundromat was to take care of oversized items.
By noon Viv had finished her lunch and gathered her comforter. She tossed in her bedsheets as well. Then her phone pinged.
Be over soon. Got the laundry?
She sent him a thumbs-up emoji in reply. Before she could pick up her purse, the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, she found Rex. She handed him the overflowing basket. "Here you go."
He laughed. "Everything is fun with you, even laundry."
Once in the SUV, they drove past the security gate. After a quick right turn onto the highway, he steered the vehicle toward Palm Desert.
"So here's what Sutton found out," Rex began. "Carmine Nelson had a stable family life. He'd been married for over thirty years to his wife, Beverly. They have a couple of kids, neither of whom live in California."
"So not a close family," Viv said.
"Carmine was Italian. His parents owned a rather famous restaurant in Palm Springs and I'm not sure if he inherited the place. According to Sutton, when his name comes up, everyone thinks of him as the Fluff and Fold guy."
"I see." Viv stared out the window.
"But the interesting part," Rex continued, "is that Carmine also has a bit of a reputation. Some people say he fluffs and folds other things. Like money, for instance. He launders money for people who don't want to pay taxes."
"Like mobsters do, that kind of thing?" Viv felt her stomach tighten.
“It's not unlikely. In the desert we have a lot of high rollers who live here in the winter months. Plus there's the casino. It's also an attraction. Lots of chances to play around and pick up a poker game too."
"Where did Carmine live during the hot months?" Viv asked.
"According to rumor, Carmine spent some time back in Italy and in the Caymans. He had a house in both places."
"Well we all know what that means." Viv smirked. She'd never traveled to either place, but she wanted him to laugh.
Rex slowed down his vehicle, taking a right turn into a strip mall. A collection of retail stores lined up facing the main road: one drug store, an off-brand shoe shop, and a pizza place, along with a storefront with the sign Carmine's Fluff and Fold.
Rex muttered under his breath, "All of the parking spaces in front are taken." He stopped the car as someone honked from behind.
"Maybe we can park in the back," she suggested.
Once they found the alley behind the shops, Rex pulled his car behind a truck that had parked right at the back of the Fluff and Fold. He left a few feet between his SUV and the open tailgate. "Frustrating," he muttered.
"You do have an issue with parking," Viv giggled. Then she added, "Looks like some kind of delivery." As the SUV idled, she opened the door and stepped onto the pavement.
"Wait for me," he hollered at the slammed door.
As she walked closer to the back entrance she saw a man standing in the bed of a truck. He called out to her.
"Interested in the newest Nike? I can show you several pairs in women's sizes." He reached down to pull out a box. "I bet these are your size. Eight and a half, right?"
He extended the box in her direction with an engaging smile. "Try these on. I can give you a good price."
Viv slipped a shoe on her foot. Before she could try the second shoe, Rex arrived, out of breath.
"Hey, aren't you Dean Marcella? I saw you at the HOA meeting just a couple of days ago." He glared at the shoe guy, who looked away.
16
REX REDONDO
"That's right." Dean Marcella nodded, then looked back at Rex. "I remember you now. How are ya?" He dropped a shoebox and extended a hand to shake.
"I thought she looked familiar." Dean nodded at Viv, who was hastily putting the shoes he'd given her back in the box. She slid the box on the tailgate as he continued to talk.
"Aren't you the couple who sat together at the meeting—right before…" He stopped abruptly. "…the cop burst in." Then he coughed into his hand. "Pretty grizzly, right? A dead man in one of our casitas?"
"Carmine Nelson." Viv stood and spoke up. "That was his name." She confronted him with a steely gaze. "Do you do a lot of laundry at the Fluff and Fold, or is this just a stop for selling sneakers?"
Her voice sounded innocent enough, but Rex knew what she was up to. That's how Viv got to know people, the combination of a sharp eye and quiet voice. The technique was a good one, especially for a detective. But she pulled it off not because she was like him, a practiced performer, but because she genuinely cared about getting to know people and didn't care to hear any nonsense.
Instead of interrupting, he kept his mouth shut. Watching the master, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Dean deliberately ignored Viv, turning around to move a shoebox. "What's your job for HOA?" Viv wasn't deterred. "I haven't seen you around. Which street do you live on? Maybe we can have you and the wife over for cocktails."
Lines etched on Dean's forehead. So I'm not the only one, ol’ Dean has had some work done too. But he hadn't disguised his age much. Probably around seventy-ish. That scar on your face is pretty well camouflaged, but it took a good surgeon. Your hair—probably plugs a few years back. Glossy and black but not natural for a guy your age.
As Dean kept talking, Rex kept assessing. Black eyes. Kinda tall, just over six feet. The stooped shoulders of an older man. That five o'clock shadow of gray whiskers and the jutting chin gave him a seedy appearance. Rex tuned back in to the conversation with a start.
"I have a house near yours," Dean said. "It's near the golf course. But I don't stay there all the time," he added hastily. "I sing all over at different nightclubs and venues, so sometimes I stay at hotels afterward."
"So you sing for a living?" Viv said.
By now Rex grew impatient. "And here I thought you were a shoe salesman." He pointed to the boxes of sneakers lining the bed of the truck.
A sheepish grin came over Dean's face. "No, I sell these for my son. He's the shoe guy. Keeps track of all the latest brands and makes deals for a few people. When you pulled up I thought you were customers."
Sure you did, Deano. Customers for what? Knockoff Nikes from China… Let me have a closer look here. With one swift motion Rex leaped onto the tailgate. He reached forward to take a shoebox off the top of the pile. Lifting the lid, he glanced inside. "Hey, I saw a pair of these yesterday." Rex held up a shoe. "On a pastor, of all people."
"Like I said, they are the latest from Nike." Dean made his way to the end of the tailgate. Using his hand for balance, he jumped off the end. "That hurts," he groaned.
Straightening, he glared at Rex. "My hip. Had surgery a year ago but it still gives me trouble." He'd effectively changed the subject away from the shoes.
But Rex didn't respond. He kept staring inside the box.
Dean growled impatiently, "You're kinda nosey, aren't you. Get down and out of my merchandise."
