Marjorie Thelen - Designer Detective

Jake met my eyes. One cheek had a nasty red welt across it. His lip was puffy. His eyes were sad dog brown.

“Cody and some of his buddies were rustling cattle at the ranch. We caught them. Opal didn’t turn them in, just gave them a warning. It turned out Cody was the one who was opening the gates and helping them load the calves on trucks. She couldn’t turn them in without turning Cody in. Opal warned him. There’s a whole list of bad deeds that Opal warned Cody about. She tried to protect him, hoping he’d wise up.”

Opal stood with pressed lips, looking at Cody. “I’m afraid the past is catching up with you, Cody. Now it’s arms dealing. That’s as bad rustling cattle. They used to hang cattle rustlers. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Cody staggered to his feet and shrugged. “I didn’t mean no harm. What’s a few calves anyway. I had too much to drink, and, well, things happen.”

The old man spoke up. “You could always parboil him.”

We looked at the old man, forgotten in all the excitement.

“They do those things out west, don’t they?”

“Tar and feather,” said Jake.

“I like that idea,” I said and turned to Jake. “What about Albert and the rifles?”

“Opal wanted me to dog Cody. That’s when I found out about the rifles. The night Opal locked me in the wine cellar we’d had an argument over the rifles that I discovered.”

I turned to Opal. “You knew about the weapons business.”

She nodded. “I do now.”

“That’s all of us,” I said. I turned to Cody. “If you don’t go straight, we get to parboil you.”

That put a smile on the old man’s face. He saluted and left for parts unknown, probably exhausted from the Wild West show.

Cody sighed. “I’ll try but I have before and, I don’t know, something always happens. Right, Opal?”

She nodded. “But I never told you I’d parboil you. I think Fiona would.” She smiled over at me.

“I’d enjoy it,” I said.

“I’ll help,” said Jake. “I’m tired of ending up in fist fights with Cody.”

The four of us leaned on the trunk of my car looking at a panorama of parked cars and inhaling stale exhaust fumes. I was trying to sort things out.

“What I want to know,” I said, “is who set the fire?”

“Hudson,” said Cody.

“I don’t believe it.”

“He’s the one who stands to gain the most. I hope he did a good job of it and burned it to the ground.”

“I think your buddies set the fire.”

“Why would they do that?”

“To burn evidence, of course.”

Cody made out like he couldn’t be bothered. “Rifles don’t burn very good. Besides, the last of the rifles left yesterday.”

I smiled “It wasn’t the rifles. There were records and checkbooks and other incriminating stuff. I bet they find that the fire started in Albert’s private study. If they started a good fire, Hudson would get the money, and you’d get off. I think you planned the fire and had your buddies do the deed while you got drunk and ended up with us for your alibi. You coerced Hudson into looking the other way and told him you wanted part if not all of the insurance money.”

“Why would I do that? Why would Hudson do anything I’d tell him?”

“You held a gun to his head.”

“Maybe I was able to persuade him it was in everyone’s best interest.”

“You blackmailed him.”

“Fiona, you better leave well enough alone.”

“No, because you bribed Hudson with something that is so bad, Hudson went along with your nefarious scheme.”

Cody said nothing but looked at me.

I pressed my advantage. “Where is the rest of the family in this?”

“Albert and I operated alone. None of the others know.”

“That leaves the four of us. We are the only ones who know about the arms business.”

“Right. That means that our lives are in danger because my business associates know that you know. They have no qualms about silencing people.”

On that ominous note, the stair door from the lobby banged open, and two lanky cowboys sauntered over to join our sorry looking group.

“What’s going on?” said one of the cowboys to Jake. “You okay? We got worried when you didn’t come back. We been looking all over this gawd durn building for you.”

If that wasn’t enough, the elevator doors opened and a barrel-chested man in the brown fedora stepped out and looked around.

Jake leaped into action.

“Boys, take Opal and load her in the rig.” He nodded toward the stairs.

Cody was already hot footing it for the stairs.

Jake grabbed my bag and steered me by the back to the stairway door leading up to the lobby. “Keep moving,” he said, pushing me to the steps. “Keep moving and don’t look back.”

The door closed with a soft thunk behind us. He shoved me up the steps to the lobby. Outside stood a Texas size truck parked by the curb. We all squeezed in. Jake took the wheel and started the engine.

“You can drop me by the airport on the way to wherever you’re going,” I said in my most agreeable voice.

“We’re going to Albert’s place,” Jake said.

“Where’s Cody?” I asked. We all looked around.

Cody had disappeared. Unfortunately, he still had my keys.

A plume of gray smoke was still visible above the trees. A smell like burning tires penetrated the cab of the truck. But we couldn’t get close enough to see the Lodge mansion. The street was blocked with rescue vehicles, a TV van, and cars of the curious. No one had offered to drop me at the airport even though I had asked politely several times. Jake said he’d drop me later. He parked the truck half off the road on someone’s manicured lawn.

“You girls stay in the rig. The boys and I will look things over.”

The girls watched the boys maneuver between vehicles until they were out of sight. Never one to follow orders, I climbed out to stretch my legs and get a better view. Opal followed. We craned our necks trying to see. A plan was forming in my head. If I could divert Opal’s attention or find someone she could talk to, I could take the truck and be on my way to the airport. I had no qualms about theft. My morals were beginning to worry me.

“I wonder where Hudson is,” I said to Opal.

“I guess we can’t call him. He never carried a cell phone.”

“Let’s walk a little closer.”

Ever game, Opal followed me through the line of cars.

“Don’t you think you should make contact with the police?” I said.

“I guess I should. Where would they be?”

“Follow me.” Off we went through the cars and groups of gawkers to find the police. A better opportunity presented itself when we caught sight of Hudson.

“Hudson. Hudson.” I waved with hands high over my head, trying to catch his attention. He was talking to a man and woman who looked familiar. Maybe they were family, someone I had seen at the wake. It turned out to be the tall guy with the dumpy but cheerful wife. I wondered if she knew what her husband did in his spare time.

Hudson caught sight of us and came hurrying over. “Miss Opal, Miss Marlowe. I’m so glad to see you. I wanted to come to your assistance, but I had my hands full with the fire. I’m glad to see you are both all right.”

“Good to see you didn’t get caught in the fire. Do they know what started it?” I asked, innocently.

“No, but apparently it started in the upper story on the west wing where Albert’s rooms are. The damage is confined to that wing but there’s also water damage.” He looked in the direction of the house. “It was such a lovely mansion. Hopefully, it can be restored.”

“So the insurance money will go to rebuild?”

“Yes, of course.”

But that meant no insurance money to split among greedy family members. Keen to be on my way and remove myself from harm’s way since I didn’t know where Cody and his friends were, I said to Opal, “I forgot something in the truck. You wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Before she could say anything, I fled to the truck, hoping I wasn’t running too hard to stir up suspicion. When I looked back, Opal and Hudson were walking toward the house with the niece and nephew. Jake and the boys were nowhere in sight.

I jumped into the cab of the truck, retrieved the keys from the visor where I saw Jake stow them and powered up. I tried to make a U turn in the street but it took several back and forth tries, and I worked up a good sweat in the process. Finally, I was on my way to the Washington Capital Beltway. If they’d try to track me down they’d go to Dulles International. At the Beltway I headed north to Maryland and Baltimore-Washington International Airport. We could all play the same game.

* * * * *

I sat in the VIP lounge at BWI and gave Olympia a call.

“Where are you?” she said.

“At the airport. Where are you?”

“Still packing. I leave tonight. How’d you get away so quick?”

“Long story best told on the beach, watching gentle blue waves roll in, sipping a glass of bubbly.”

“That’s my girl. When does your flight leave?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll call you when I have the details.” Superstition dictated that my plans would go awry if I told them to anyone. I kept looking over my shoulder expecting Jake, Cody or Opal to materialize. I heard my name and ducked down in the seat. Surely, it had to be a different Fiona. I sat with hand shading my eyes waiting for the voice to evaporate.

“Fiona, it is you,” said a bright, squeaky clean voice.

I looked up. There stood one of my blaringly gay decorator friends who I ran into in the oddest places, like the VIP lounge at BWI.