Sue Grafton - V is for Vengeance

“A conniving old slut.”

“You think she had an ulterior motive?”

“There was something going on with her. I mean, Daddy’s adorable, but she’s hardly his type.”

“How so?”

“He’s always been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. Even my mother complained at times. He’s a homebody. He doesn’t like to go out at night. Audrey was a live wire, always on the go. Where was the common ground?”

My shrug was noncommittal. “Maybe they fell in love. He must have been lonely with your mother gone. Most men don’t do well on their own, especially if they’ve been happily married.”

“Agreed. And of course now he’s done a complete turnaround… Mr. Gadabout. I figured far be it from me to interfere with his so-called love life. Delaney and I minimized our contact with Audrey. It was the best we could do. The times we saw her, we made a point of being polite. I’m not sure we succeeded, but it wasn’t for lack of effort on our part. Whatever doubts I had, I kept to myself, not that anyone gave me credit. They assumed I was jealous, like I wouldn’t have warmed to any woman who took up with him, but that’s just not true.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“Their bar buddies. After the service, I’m sure the lot of them will come rallying around and insist on taking him out for drinks. As nearly as I could tell, drinking was all he and Audrey ever did. I’m not saying he’s over the line or anything like that. She’s the one. Party, party, party. Luckily, she traveled a lot on business so she was gone half the time. Would you call that a healthy relationship? Because I don’t.”

“What about her kids? Did they approve?”

“I have no idea. We never laid eyes on them.”

“Will they be here? I didn’t see their names in the book.”

“They don’t even know she died. They’re supposedly in San Francisco, but Daddy couldn’t find a contact number for either one of them. Audrey had an address book. He saw it on more than one occasion, but he doesn’t know what she did with it.”

“She probably kept the numbers in her head.”

“I guess. Audrey claimed her daughter, Betty, worked for Merrill Lynch, but that was bullshit. Delaney lives in the city herself so she called the office and drew a complete blank. Nobody’d ever heard of her.”

“She could be married and using her husband’s last name.”

“That’s one explanation,” she said. She pulled her mouth down and ran her tongue across her upper teeth, a move that conveys disbelief, though I’m not sure why.

“What about her nieces and nephews? Wouldn’t one of them know how to contact her kids?”

“There aren’t any nieces or nephews. Daddy made that up for the obit because he thought it sounded better. She really didn’t seem to have friends or family. With the exception of that bunch of drunks they hung out with, we’re it.”

“That seems odd.”

“It is odd. I mean, if she had kids you’d think they’d have come down to visit at some point or at least called now and then.”

“You think she lied about them?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me. I had the sneaking suspicion she was pulling the wool over Daddy’s eyes, acting all nicey-nice. The way she talked, she was head of a happy little family with kids who were gainfully employed. Ha!”

“Maybe she was estranged from them.”

“I guess that’s possible, though we may never know the truth.” She lowered her voice. “You heard how she died?”

“I did and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did she strike you as the type who’d take a dive off a bridge?”

“Ordinarily, no, but Daddy says she was arrested late Friday afternoon and spent half the night in jail.”

My attempt to look astonished probably fell short, but she didn’t know me well enough to catch on. I said, “Arrested? Are you serious? For what?”

“Who knows? I couldn’t get it out of him. I know he posted bail and from what he said, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He was furious. He said it was clearly bullshit and he intended to sue for false arrest. He’s convinced her being picked up was what pushed her over the edge, literally.”

“Sounds like it,” I said.

She glanced at her watch. “I better get back. Are you staying for the service?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll have a chat with William and see what he says.”

“We can talk later if you’re still around. Thanks for letting me vent.”

“No problem.”

When I returned to Meditation, a small group of people had arrived. By the look of them, these were Marvin and Audrey’s bar pals. There were six of them, two women and four guys, all roughly the same age. I’m sure the habitual drinkers at Rosie’s would have evidenced a similar air, as though bewildered to be outside and sober at that hour of the day. One of the two women was holding Marvin’s hand, tears coursing down her face. While she wept, he used his free hand to pull out a handkerchief, which he handed her. She shook her head and I saw him dash tears from his own eyes. Grief is as contagious as a yawn.

William had moved to the back of the room where he was deep in conversation with Mr. Sharonson. I caught his eye and lifted a tentative hand. He excused himself and crossed the room. “How are you doing?”

“Fine. I was just wondering about the time frame. Are you staying for the service?”

“Of course. I hope you’re not thinking of leaving. Marvin would be crushed.”

“Crushed?”

“He’s always wanted to meet Audrey’s friends and he was thrilled we were here. Well, ‘thrilled’ isn’t the word he used, but you get what I mean.”

“What about the woman he’s talking to now? Wasn’t she a friend?”

“More like a mutual acquaintance. Several of them socialized at a neighborhood bar. He’s distressed no one else has stopped by. He hoped for a respectable turnout.”

“What about his older daughter?”

“She’s flying in from San Francisco and should be here close to one.” He lowered his voice. “Has she made an appearance?”

“Audrey’s accomplice? So far, no, and that’s what worries me. If she walks in now, she’ll spot me right off the bat. I don’t see how she could fail to recognize me.”

“That’s not a problem. She’ll sign in and by the time she sees you, her name and address will be recorded in the book. You’ll have all the relevant data you need to pursue her without further effort on your part.”

“She wouldn’t necessarily give her home address. I left that line blank myself.”

“Matters not. You’ll have her name. You can take that and run with it.”

“But she’ll have my name too. If she checks directory assistance, the only reference she’ll find is Millhone Investigations, which will give her my business address and phone number. She’s bound to figure out I’m onto her. Why else would a private detective come to Audrey’s visitation?”

“There are four women here. Five, once Marvin’s older daughter arrives. She won’t know which of you is which. And why do you care?”

“She tried to kill me.”

“I doubt she was serious. She probably saw the opportunity and acted on impulse.”

“But suppose she tells Marvin I’m a PI?”

“He already knows.”

“He does? How did that come up?”

“It didn’t. I told him outright.”

I stood and blinked at him. “William, you shouldn’t have done that. What in the world did you say?”

“I didn’t go into any detail , Kinsey. That would have been indiscreet. All I said was you watched Audrey steal hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise, after which her accomplice tried to run you down in the parking garage before she made good her escape.”