Fortune's Wheel, page 9
part #4 of Claire Rollins Mystery Series
Augustus raised an eyebrow. “Maybe the person did tell the police. Maybe it went nowhere and the person is now trying again.”
“That’s too complicated.” Claire sighed, stood up and went to the coffee and tea bar to pour herself and Tessa cups of tea. When she sat down in her chair, she said, “My head is spinning from talking to these people. Professor Ambrose claimed he did not give his trowel to Leslie, but Dr. Amy Wonder told me matter-of-factly that Professor Ambrose gave the trowel to Leslie in Iraq because Leslie admired the object.”
“One of them doesn’t remember correctly.” Tessa sipped the hot liquid.
“Dr. Wonder thinks the window in Leslie’s bedroom was open a crack, but Dr. Henry Prior doesn’t think it was.” Claire leaned forward. “Dr. Prior told me he woke up shortly after he fell asleep and saw Peter Safer leaving the building, but when I asked if Peter had come up with Leslie after their date and visited in Amy Wonder’s apartment, he told me he wasn’t sure, maybe Peter was there.”
Tessa asked, “Did anyone report that Peter was with Leslie in the building that night?”
“Marty’s notes say that Peter dropped Leslie off after the date and then he went home. It doesn’t say he went into the building with her.” Claire rubbed at the muscle tension in her neck. “Peter told me he went inside with Leslie and went to Leslie’s apartment to help unstick the bedroom window. Then he claims he left to go home. Amy said that Leslie came to her place and they talked for a while.”
“So Peter wasn’t at Amy’s place?” Tessa asked.
“Dr. Prior was the only one who said he didn’t remember if Peter was there or not. Peter and Amy say he wasn’t there.”
Augustus stroked his chin. “Henry Prior reported seeing Mr. Safer leaving the building late at night, supposedly after Peter had already headed home.”
“That’s right,” Claire nodded.
Augustus asked, “Could Prior be mistaken? Could Prior have been awakened by noise in Leslie’s apartment? Maybe there was a struggle and Prior woke from the sounds. The murder had been committed by the time he was fully awake and got out of bed to go to the kitchen for a glass of milk. When Prior returned to his bedroom and looked out of his window, he saw someone leaving the building. It could have been Leslie’s killer.”
“Yes,” Claire said. “All of that is plausible. Dr. Prior may not have realized he woke up from noise of a struggle in Leslie’s room.”
“So you’re surmising the killer is Peter Safer?” Tessa looked at Augustus.
“Not at all. It may have been Mr. Safer, it may have been the killer making his escape, or it may have been someone else just leaving the building.” Augustus’s blue eyes clouded. “Or, Dr. Prior is lying about seeing someone outside.”
Claire sat up straight. “Why would he do that?”
“Perhaps, Dr. Prior would like to pin the murder on Peter Safer.”
“Why would he want to do that?” Claire’s eyes were wide.
“Could Dr. Prior be the killer?” Augustus speculated.
Claire’s mouth opened a little. “So Prior tries to shift attention to Peter Safer and away from himself.”
“Why would Dr. Prior kill Leslie?” Tessa questioned.
Claire shook her head as she shrugged a shoulder. “Could they have been seeing each other and had a terrible fight?”
“If Leslie and Henry Prior had been seeing each other, it brings up another possibility,” Augustus said.
Tessa and Claire stared at the man.
“At the time Leslie was killed, Prior and Amy Wonder were in a relationship with one another.”
Claire’s lips tightened into a thin line. “You’re suggesting that Leslie and Henry Prior may have been involved with one another and Amy Wonder found out about the affair and killed Leslie?”
“Nothing can be disregarded, can it?” Augustus asked.
“What a tangled web.” Tessa shook her head.
“None of this feels right.” Claire rested her chin in her hand. “I’m missing something.”
Augustus folded his newspaper and drained his coffee before standing up. “I’m off to meet a friend.” He addressed Claire. “Keep your mind open. You’ll find what you’re missing. You always do.” The judge headed to the front of the store, said a few words to Tony, and stepped out of the market into the September sunshine.
“Augustus always makes me think and rethink,” Claire said.
Tessa glanced over her shoulder to see where Tony was in the store. She kept her voice low. “Have you sensed any danger when you’ve been talking to these people about the young woman’s murder?”
A shiver of anxiety ran down Claire’s back. “I haven’t. I’ve felt that some aren’t fully telling me what they know and I question some people’s motivations and suspicions, but I haven’t felt in any danger.”
“I don’t like this case.” Tessa ran her hand over her arm. “Stay on your toes, Claire. Question everything.”
“I will.” Wanting to lighten the dark mood she was feeling, Claire changed the topic of discussion with a gleam in her eye. “In fact, I’m now going to question you about Tony.”
Tessa blushed and sat back in her seat. “He’s a very nice man.”
Claire leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. “Have you two been seeing each other?”
“From time to time.” Tessa picked up her cup and sipped.
“From time to time? What does that mean?” Claire pressed. “Once a month? Once a week?” She gave Tessa a wide smile and narrowed her eyes. “Once a day?”
Tessa leaned back and let out a hearty laugh causing Tony to call back to them. “What’s so funny back there?”
Claire teased, “We’re talking about you.”
Tony let out a grunt. “Bah.”
“Well?” Making eye contact with Tessa, Claire tapped the tabletop. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Tessa looked away from Claire. “I haven’t been keeping track of how often I get together with Tony.”
“That means you’re seeing a lot of each other.”
A little smile started at the corner of Tessa’s mouth, but she didn’t let it spread across her face. “What’s the definition of a lot?”
Claire folded her arms on the table and leaned closer, her eyes bright. “You like each other.”
Tessa met Claire’s eyes with a gleam in her own. “Yes, we do.”
“That makes me happy. I love Tony like a father. I think he’s been lonely.” Claire touched Tessa’s arm. “I want him to be happy.”
“Me, too.” Tessa patted Claire’s hand. “And what about you and Ian?”
Claire smiled. “I want him to be happy, too.”
“I hope the two of you are doing other things together besides running, biking, and swimming.” Tessa did not care for exercise and often teasingly asked Claire and Ian why on earth they had any desire to take part in athletic competitions.
“You’ll be happy to know that we’ve been out to dinner, gone to movies, and seen a couple of plays together.”
“Thank the heavens,” Tessa said with a grin. “I wondered if there was something wrong with you two.”
Tony came to sit with the women and Claire brought him up-to-date on what she’d learned about the cold case. After Tony clucked at her to be careful and Claire promised to be on guard, she collected the dogs from the little grassy, fenced-in area behind the market and headed home.
Walking up the short hill to her townhouse, Claire considered two choices for the evening meal and because Nicole was coming for dinner, she decided on her friend’s favorite of vegetable macaroni and cheese with salad and fresh rolls. Claire wanted to go for a short run before starting dinner and was calculating the time in her head to be sure it wouldn’t make the meal late when Bear and Lady stopped in their tracks in front of the townhouse and whined, refusing to advance.
Claire was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost stepped on the dogs and had to quickly side-step to avoid bumping into them. “What’s up, you two? What’s the matter?”
When Lady whined and looked up at Claire, the young woman crouched to reassure the Corgi and then noticed a spot of something on the second step leading to her front door. Leaning closer to see what it was, she saw another smear of dark red on the next step. Claire’s heart pounded. She stood and walked up to the small front landing to see smears of red all over the cement and granite. Anger flooded her veins as she touched one of the streaks with her finger.
Red dust. Ochre. Just like the powder sprinkled over Leslie Baker’s dead body thirty-three years ago.
An icy shiver ran over Claire’s skin.
15
Claire made a phone call to Ian and he was at her townhouse within ten minutes pulling up to the curb and jumping out with concern etched on his face. Putting his arm around Claire and pulling her close, he asked, “Are you okay? Is there any sign of forced entry?”
Claire was still steaming over someone’s attempt at intimidation with the red powder spread over her entryway. “It doesn’t look like it. The front door is closed and locked. I didn’t walk around to the back so I’m not sure if anyone broke in that way.”
A squad car arrived and the officers checked around the building. Samples of the dust were taken and in thirty minutes, the cops were gone leaving Ian, Claire, and the dogs in the townhouse kitchen.
“Who did it?” Claire ranted. “Oh, how I wish there were security cameras out front. How dare someone leave ochre on my steps. How dare someone attempt to harass me.”
Ian sat at the kitchen island sipping a coffee. “Have you considered that the person who did this is Leslie’s killer?”
Claire stopped pacing around the room and took a deep breath. “I guess, subconsciously, yes.” A look of worry washed over her. “I was so angry about someone coming here to try and frighten me there wasn’t any room for fear or worry in my head. Until now.” She sat on the stool next to Ian.
“I didn’t say it to scare you.” Ian reached for Claire’s hand. “It’s just that I don’t think it was done as a practical joke. It was done by someone who knows the circumstances of Leslie’s death, which wouldn’t be hard to know since the detail about the red powder was in the news article the other day.” The detective paused. “It was also done by someone who knows you’re interviewing people and looking into the case … and that’s the part that worries me.”
“Someone’s sending me a message.” Claire’s voice was heavy.
“It might be someone you’ve talked to already, but it might also be someone who has heard you’re interviewing people related to the death.”
“Right. It could be someone I’ve yet to speak with, but who is in contact with one of the people I’ve met.” Claire crossed her arms on the counter. “That doesn’t exactly narrow it down.”
“The powder wasn’t on the steps when you left this morning?” Ian asked.
“I’m sure it wasn’t. When the dogs and I left the house, the steps were clear.”
“Then it was done sometime during the day. In broad daylight.” Ian looked at Claire. “Bold, isn’t it? To do that with no darkness to hide in and when people are walking around the neighborhood. Interesting. Why wouldn’t the person spread the powder at night?”
“It wouldn’t take long to sprinkle it around,” Claire said. “The person could have acted like a tourist. Carry a camera, act like you’re interested in the historic buildings, wander around, and when no one is in sight, go up to the door and spread the ochre. What would it take? Five seconds? Not even.”
“A neighbor could have been watching out a window though.” Ian gestured to the front of the house. “From the other side of the street. There are lots of windows in all these townhouses. A delivery truck could have pulled up. The powder-spreader would have no way of knowing if someone was watching him. It’s risky behavior.”
Claire said, “He probably had on sunglasses and a hat and kept his head down. He spread the powder and walked away. No one would be able to identify him.” She balled her hand into a fist and groaned, saying for a second time, “I wish there was a security camera out front.”
Ian’s phone buzzed and after glancing at it, he told Claire he had to get to a meeting at the police station. At the front door, he kissed her and held her tight. “Call me anytime. Day or night. I’ll be here in minutes.”
“I will.” Claire smiled warmly at Ian while the Corgis danced around their legs.
“Keep the door locked,” Ian said as he walked down the steps to his car. “Don’t let anyone in.”
“How about me? Can she let me in?” Carrying a pastry box, Nicole crossed the street behind Ian’s car and walked towards the townhouse.
Ian took a quick look at Nicole before getting into the driver’s seat. “No, she definitely should not let you in,” he said and then smiled. “Claire will bring you up-to-date on the latest. Be careful.”
Nicole made a face and climbed up the steps to stand next to Claire. “Why is Ian telling me to be careful?” Noticing the red powder, she asked nonchalantly, “What’s this red stuff on the steps?” As soon as the words were out of the brunette’s mouth, her face hardened and she turned slowly to her friend. “Is it what I think it is?”
“Yup, it sure is.” Claire stepped back so Nicole could enter and before shutting the door, she took quick glances up and down the cobblestone street, her heart beating hard against her chest. “I haven’t made any dinner for us.”
“That’s what phones are for.” Nicole headed for the kitchen and put the pastry box into the refrigerator. “What shall we order? Pizza? Thai? Something from the Italian place?”
When the dinner order was placed for delivery, Claire and Nicole carried drinks and cheese and crackers out to the patio where they sat at the table under the shade tree while the dogs lolled in the grass.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Nicole said.
Claire gave her the rundown on the latest development.
“Who did it?” Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “And in broad daylight.”
“Ian said the very same thing,” Claire told her friend. “He thinks it was a bold move to sprinkle the powder over the steps during the day. He’ll go around the neighborhood and ask if anyone saw what was happening.”
“Good idea.” Nicole placed a square of cheddar cheese on a cracker. “So what do you think? Is it someone you or both of us have interviewed?”
“I don’t know.” Claire raised her hands in a helpless gesture.
“What about Peter Safer?” Nicole bit into her cracker. “He seemed sort of arrogant and distant, almost annoyed that we had the nerve to question him about the murder.”
“It’s true.” Claire gave a nod. “And Henry Prior said he saw Safer leaving the apartment building after Peter claimed he left Leslie.”
Nicole said, “But Henry Prior has bad eyesight and he told you he didn’t have his glasses on the night he saw Safer exiting through the front door. Can his identification of Safer be trusted?”
“I doubt it would hold up in court.” Claire added some wine to Nicole’s glass. “What about Professor Ambrose? He told us he didn’t give Leslie the trowel, but Amy Wonder said Leslie told her Ambrose gave her the trowel as a gift.”
“Too many conflicting stories,” Nicole groaned.
Claire swirled the wine in her glass absent-mindedly. “My mind keeps going back to Rosalind Fenwick when she showed up at the chocolate shop with the pictures from the Iraq dig.”
“What about it?” Nicole asked.
“Why didn’t she tell the police of her suspicion that Leslie and Ambrose were in a relationship? Why didn’t she bring up the trowel with the police? The investigators never asked her to talk with them, but she kept silent and kept her thoughts to herself.”
“Maybe she didn’t think those things would make a difference to the case?” Nicole guessed. “She was young back then. Maybe she assumed the police knew what they were doing and felt awkward about butting into the case.”
“But now she comes forward so many years later?”
I don’t know.” Nicole leaned back in her chair and gave a shrug. “It’s probably been bugging her for decades and when she read about Marty looking into the cold case she probably decided to tell what she knows.”
“In a way, when Rosalind Fenwick talked to us, she seemed to point the finger at Professor Ambrose. I think she suspects him, but what she told us didn’t seem to add up to very much.” Claire watched the dogs resting in the grass. “Does she have more to say or is she deflecting attention away from someone else and onto Ambrose?”
Nicole frowned. “Ambrose didn’t help his cause by telling us he didn’t give the trowel to Leslie.”
“Maybe he didn’t give it to her. Leslie might have taken it without permission.”
“Stole it, you mean?” Nicole shook her head. “Or maybe Amy Wonder is lying that Leslie told her Ambrose gave it to her.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “We need to focus on motivation, otherwise we’re just going to go round in circles.”
“We don’t have much to go on. We need to find a reason why someone would want to kill Leslie.” Nicole took a swallow from her glass. “Or, we need to find the murder weapon.”
Claire gave her friend a smile. “That would be helpful, yes.”
“What does your intuition tell you?” Nicole asked.
“Not a heck of a lot.” Claire let out a sigh. “I suspect everyone. When we interview someone, I sit there thinking they’re lying or they’re holding back. I don’t trust any of them.”
“But that’s your mind working. What about your intuition?”
Claire slumped in her chair. “I don’t get any strong feelings one way or the other.”
Nicole leaned forward over the table. “Next time we interview someone, let me ask the questions and you sit there and listen. Don’t focus too much on what the person tells us. Pay more attention to the sensations, the feelings you get from the person. What do you think?”
“Okay. Let’s try it.”
Nicole beamed. “Who’s next on our agenda?”
