Murder on Sagebrush Lane (10 page)

28

The sound of a demented cuckoo squawking six times broke the stunned silence. Harrie regained her senses and looked around the room for the offending bird. She spied what appeared to be a vintage Black Forest clock with its noisy little resident retreating into a tiny chalet.

Harrie looked at Ginger, then at Winnie Devlin who was watching them both expectantly.

Harrie stood and reached for her handbag. “I think we’ll be going now.”

But Winnie wasn’t ready to lose her audience, and shot up out of her chair. “No!” It sounded like a rifle shot. “You can’t leave yet. You have to hear my story—all of it.”

Ginger and Harrie exchanged glances. Harrie shrugged and nodded, and they both sat back down. “Keep it short, Winnie. It’s late and I have to get back to my family.”

Winnie resumed her position in the chair and clasped her hands in her lap. “Let me tell you the rest.” She lifted her head and looked at a point above Harrie and Ginger’s heads. When she composed herself she went on.

“I have two children, a daughter and a son. They’re both grown up now and left home years ago. My son is in the Marines, and I haven’t seen him for a long time. He sends a card at Christmas, along with a little note about whatever’s going on in his life. But he doesn’t come home anymore. My daughter is younger and was always a handful. She’d run away, saying she didn’t like living with us because of all the rules we had. But then she’d get in trouble again and come slinking back for a place to live and three meals a day. Her father is a softie, and he always welcomed her back. We fought a lot about that. I thought she should take responsibility for her life, and I was against her always expecting us to bail her out.”

Harrie looked at her watch. “Winnie, how much longer is this story? I really have to get going.”

Winnie’s alarmed look returned, and she held up her hand. “No, please. I have to give you a little background so you’ll understand. It’ll only take a few more minutes.”

Harrie nodded. “Okay, but make it quick.”

“Thank you,” Winnie said. “I promise I’ll be as fast as I can.”

“So, like I was saying,” she continued, her gaze once again fixed on a spot above their heads, “I wasn’t happy that my daughter couldn’t seem to get her life together. The last time she returned, we couldn’t figure out at first what the problem was. But she finally admitted she’d been involved with a guy and got pregnant. Well I, of course, wanted her to leave the house immediately. I mean, really. This was the limit. But my husband carried on so much I finally let her stay. I told her she had to give up the child as soon as it was born. I knew if she kept it, she’d expect me to rescue both of them all the time. She argued with me for a couple of months, but she finally gave in because I told her we wouldn’t give her any more money if she didn’t.”

Winnie took another deep breath and continued. “I made inquiries and contacted a lawyer in New York City. He told me he had several clients who were looking for a baby, and they would pay good money. I set a price, they finally agreed, and I got my daughter to sign the papers. The morning the baby was born, I called the lawyer. He caught a plane and came to Albuquerque the next day. He brought a nurse with him, and they took the baby and returned to New York.”

Winnie paused, and Harrie looked at her. “I still don’t see why you think telling me all this is so important.”

“You’ll see. Just let me finish,” Winnie’s eyes made her look like an angry owl.

“The lawyer brought a check with him, made out to me. When my daughter got out of the hospital, I gave her $5,000 and told her she’d better disappear for good this time. She did, and we took the rest of the money and put it down on this lovely house.” Winnie looked around the room and beamed with pride.

Harrie frowned. “I fail to understand why you believe the Rinaldi’s daughter is your granddaughter.”

Winnie lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. “I would think that’s obvious. The lawyer who took the baby was from New York. The Rinaldi’s came from New York. My daughter’s baby was born two years ago. The Rinaldi’s daughter is two years old.”

Ginger leaned in toward Winnie. “What has all this got to do with Harrie? Why are you telling us all this information about you and your family”

“Because I need you to do a big favor for me,” she said. She got up and walked out of the room.

Harrie and Ginger exchanged puzzled looks. Harrie shook her head and whispered, “This woman is a true nut job. I think it’s entirely appropriate she owns a cuckoo clock. Let’s get out of here.” They both grabbed their purses and stood, but before they could take a step, Winnie returned with a small package. She pressed it into Harrie’s hand.

“Please take this. It’s a Home DNA Kit. You have to take a swab from that child’s mouth. I need it to prove she’s my granddaughter.”

29

Harrie buckled her seatbelt without being told, and blew out her breath. “This has been a really long day. I hope there are no more surprises before it’s over.”

Ginger chuckled. “Don’t say that. It’s almost guaranteed to invite another unexpected event.” She started her car and eased out of the Devlin driveway. “Don’t you think you should call DJ now?”

“I will when I get back to Caroline’s. There’s so much to figure out. Besides, I think the woman is certifiable. How can she think Katie is related to her, even remotely?”

“What you say is true,” said Ginger, “but that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about the mysterious stranger on your answering machine. DJ has to be told about that right away.”

Harrie had been looking out the side window of the car. She turned back to look at Ginger. “Could you come to Caroline’s with me? Maybe you and Steve could join us for dinner. I think I’d feel better if we could all talk about this. We need a plan, and I’m afraid DJ’s going to shut me out of the action.”

“Well can you blame him?” Ginger shook her head. “After what happened last time? You almost got yourself killed.”

“Oh, phooey,” Harrie said. “I was never in as much danger as you were. You had the papers that creep wanted.”

Ginger made a ‘sheesh’ sound. “I was locked safely inside the panic room. I even had access to a phone. You, on the other hand, managed to get yourself locked in a tiny bathroom with only one small window, high above the ground. It’s a wonder you didn’t break a leg or that skinny neck of yours.”

Harrie crossed her arms over her chest, turned, and looked at Ginger with a steely stare. “Are you going to help me or not?”

Ginger pulled into Harrie’s driveway, shut off the engine, and turned to meet her best friend’s stubborn look. “Of course I will. But do me a favor, and call Caroline first. I don’t want to barge in for dinner without warning her ahead of time. Meanwhile, I’ll call Steve and see if he’s close to leaving the office. He should be. It’s almost 6:30.”

Harrie grinned in relief and opened the car door. “Okay,” she said. “Wait while I get my car. I’ll call Caroline on the way and let her know we’re all coming for dinner.”

While Ginger waited for Harrie, she phoned Steve and told him the plan. He had just left the office, and she agreed to meet him at home so they could go together.

When Harrie opened her garage door, Ginger gave her a ‘thumbs up’ and waved. Harrie waved in return, and backed out of her driveway. As soon as she had left her neighborhood, Harrie called Caroline and explained her plan.

Caroline said, “That sounds wonderful. I’m ordering pizza, and I’ve made a salad. I haven’t heard from DJ yet, have you?”

“No,” Harrie said, “but I didn’t expect to. Don’t forget, he thinks I’m there with you, so it’s not likely he’d call me—not unless he found out I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s just as well you’re headed back here. By the way, what did you find out?”

“Ah, that’s complicated. I have lots to tell you, but I’ll wait until we’re together.”

“Okay,” Caroline said. “Beep your horn when you get to the alley and I’ll open the garage. See you in a few minutes.”

Harrie pushed the disconnect button on the Bluetooth device in her ear and thought about the events of the last two hours. What would be the best way to break all this news to DJ when he returned? Perhaps she should start with the mysterious caller on the answering machine. She reached over and patted the pocket on the outside of her purse where she had dropped the machine’s tape. Her fingers felt the outline of the cassette, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

It was all but certain DJ would take the tape to the FBI, and she’d never see it again. She wondered if there was any way at all he would agree to let her meet the mystery man. She blew out her breath. “Fat chance,” she said to herself.

When she pulled into the alley behind Caroline’s driveway, she beeped her horn once, and within a minute the garage door opened. She pulled her small car in beside Caroline’s, and the door slid down, concealing both Harrie and her car. It was nice having the garage at the back of the house. People couldn’t observe the occupant’s comings and goings, and in this case, Harrie did not want the patrolling police car to spot her.

Harrie entered the house through the utility room, much the same as she did in her own house. As she opened the door to the kitchen, there was a greeting on her lips. She expected to see Caroline’s happy face waiting for her.

What she saw instead was DJ, and his face didn’t look happy at all.

30

“I thought you were going to stay here and wait for me.” DJ’s face showed annoyance, but it also revealed his struggle to keep that emotion under control.

Harrie turned to Caroline. “Where’s Katie?”

“I just put her to bed. She’s a very tired little girl.”

DJ cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Did you hear what I said?”

Harrie took a breath, trying to tamp down her own irritation. She turned back to her husband. “Let’s at least sit down before the inquisition starts.”

DJ’s face shifted to puzzlement. “Are you angry with me? Seriously?”

Harrie patted his arm and pulled out one of the chairs around the kitchen table. “I’m tired, DJ. I’m also a woman over forty who does not need to be treated like a child. Could we all sit down? I’ll tell you everything if you’ll give me a chance to catch my breath.”

DJ started to make a comment but caught the look on his mother’s face and changed his mind. “I’m sorry,” he said and bit his lip. “I guess I’m being over protective again. I keep forgetting what an independent little cuss you are.”

Harrie shook her head and smiled. “You also forget I lived alone for many years and survived quite nicely without people watching my every move.”

DJ looked contrite. “I don’t want to make you feel smothered. I only want to keep you safe.”

Harrie grinned. “I know, my love, I know. And I really do appreciate that you worry about me. But could you throttle it back just a little bit?”

“I’ll try,” he said, and then kissed her with gusto.

“Excuse me,” Caroline said. “Since we have that settled, could we sit down and find out what she has to tell us?”

With the tension broken, everyone laughed. Harrie and DJ sat, and Caroline poured coffee for them before she, too, sat in one of the chairs. “Okay,” she said. “Give. What did Mrs. Devlin have to say?”

Harrie told them at length about Winnie Devlin and her strange obsession that Katie was her granddaughter. Caroline and DJ both asked questions, and Harrie related what she’d observed, and what she and Ginger had concluded.

“The woman is a space cadet.” Harrie groaned. “Really, how could she jump to the conclusion that she’s Katie’s grandmother?”

DJ looked thoughtful. “I don’t like to say this, but she could be right, you know.”

Harrie’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at DJ with disbelief. “You are kidding me, I hope. You cannot be serious.”

“Think about it,” he said. “The timing would be about right. It’s not out of the realm of possibility.”

Harrie shook her head. “Bonnie Bellows told you that whole story about her being the surrogate mother. What about that?”

DJ nodded. “She did, and she may well be.” He held up his hand to ward off protest from both his wife and his mother. “I’m just saying either story is possible. We won’t know until we investigate further, and you two shouldn’t be so quick to decide who’s what.”

Harrie thought about that. “Do you think they could both be lying?”

“Absolutely. At this point we have no evidence in either direction. It’s simply too soon to make those determinations. That’s why you need to be patient, and let the investigation proceed without preconceived ideas.”

Harrie had a sudden thought. “DJ, do you think Winnie Devlin could be the murderer?”

“Of course she could. She’s in a great position to have done it, living right next door. She could have gone to the Rinaldi house under cover of darkness. And now you tell me she thinks Katie is her granddaughter. That’s a pretty darned good motive.”

The three of them were pondering the possibilities when the doorbell rang. DJ went to answer it and opened the door to Ginger and Steve standing on the porch, holding two pizza boxes.

“Gee, I didn’t know the law practice was in trouble, Steve. You’ve had to take on delivering pizzas now?”

“Very funny, feeb, very funny,” and he handed DJ both boxes.

Ginger looked at Steve with raised eyebrows. “What’s a feeb?”

They both stepped into the entryway and DJ closed the door. He smiled at Ginger. “Ignore him. He’s just jealous. Lots of wannabes call FBI agents ‘feebs’ because they can’t spell.” He ducked when Steve took a playful swat at him.

They were all laughing when they walked into the kitchen. Harrie was setting the table and Caroline was dishing up salad in wooden bowls.

“Where’s Katie?” Ginger asked.

“That poor baby was tired,” Caroline said. “She barely stayed awake long enough to eat her dinner. I put her to bed a minute or two before DJ arrived.”

Caroline took the pizza boxes from DJ and put them on the breakfast bar. She had plates set out and motioned to the group. “Come on over here and fill your plates. I’ll put your salads on the table.”

Conversation consisted mostly of comments about the wonderful smell of pizza, and how hungry they were. When everyone was seated, Ginger turned to Harrie.

“What did DJ say about the mysterious threat on the answering machine?”

There was a long awkward silence while everyone at the table absorbed Ginger’s remark.

Harrie looked intently at her pizza and avoided DJ’s eyes.

He looked at her and said, “What’s this I should know about?

Harrie shot a look at Ginger. “Thanks, pal. I didn’t quite get around to telling him about that yet.”

“Oops,” she said, and took a big bite of pizza.