Murder With A Twist Part 22

"Stop when you get to scotch, and then I'll have it neat," said Nigel.

Max gave a faint smile. "Done. And what can I get for you, Nic?"

"I'll have the same. Thanks, Max."

Max left to make the drinks. Nigel and I sat down. Daphne said nothing. Olive remained with her head back and her eyes closed. It sounded as if she were faintly humming. Then she started to sing, her voice soft and low. "Oh, I'd hate to live in Jersey," she crooned. "And I'll tell you the reason why. A fellow got hit with a bag of s.h.i.t, and some got in his eye." No one spoke. Olive resumed humming. Skippy moved away from her and sat next to me. He rested his head on my lap. I laid a rea.s.suring hand on his back.

"So, where is Joe today?" I asked, if only to break the awkward silence.

"It's Joseph, G.o.ddammit!" Olive muttered, her eyes still closed. Everyone ignored her.

"Mother gave him the day off. She didn't want him to know what was going on," Daphne replied while staring at the floor.

"What's being done about Audrey?" Nigel asked.

"Toby is trying to arrange a bail hearing. Dad was going to do it, but Mother became hysterical, and he couldn't leave her." Daphne glanced at Olive in irritation. "It was quite unlike anything I've ever seen."

"How was Audrey?" I asked.

Daphne shrugged. "Numb, I think. She talked to Dad, though, not me."

I nodded. "Have you told them what you told me?"

She nodded at the floor. "Yes. They know."

Max returned with our drinks. "So, Toby is trying to get bail set for Audrey?" I asked.

"Yes," said Max. "I talked to him a little while ago. He's fairly confident that he can arrange something. He's going to call me when he knows more."

"Daphne said you talked to Audrey. How is she?" Nigel asked.

"She's holding up all right, I suppose. I don't think the reality of it has sunk in yet. I hope to have her out of jail before it does. She's never been a particularly strong person." Max turned tired eyes to me. The lines on his face seemed more p.r.o.nounced than they were yesterday. "Daphne told me about her role in all of this, Nic. I'm sorry that you were ever asked to be involved in this whole sordid mess. I really am. I'm heartily ashamed."

The sound of a half sob escaped from Daphne. I ignored her.

"It's all right, Max," I said. "That's what family is for. We are all privy to each other's worst secrets."

Max twisted his mouth into a half smile. "True. But in our case, it seems that some family secrets are more atrocious than others."

Nigel scoffed. "Max, we're hardly the Borgias. Yes, Daphne took money that wasn't hers to cover up a screwup at work. And, yes, Audrey not only didn't tell the police about finding Lizzy's body, but also failed to mention that Lizzy used to work for you. But those are human failings. They aren't the first people to exercise bad judgment."

Daphne kept her head low. "You forgot to add in the part where I sent a known thug to where Leo was hiding. I'm responsible for that man's death," she said.

"No, Leo is," Nigel corrected. "I'm not saying that you deserve a merit badge, Daphne, but let's be honest. By all accounts, Fat Saul was a violent thug who probably did a lot of very bad things in his life. Leo, as we've learned, was something of a sociopath. He most likely killed Fat Saul and Lizzy. There are some who might say that the world isn't really too worse off for both their pa.s.sings. I'm not trying to diminish what you did, but I think we need to keep it in perspective."

Daphne raised her head and shot Nigel a grateful smile. Seeing her father's stern, disappointed face, her smile vanished. "Dad, please forgive me," she said, her voice low. "I am so sorry. I know it was wrong. When I realized that I'd screwed up the settlement, I panicked. All I could think of was that I didn't want to get disbarred. I didn't want to disappoint you."

Max was unmoved. "And yet, that's exactly what you did," he said, his voice harsh. "I raised you to be better than that."

Daphne lowered her head again. Max glowered. I sipped my drink and scratched Skippy behind his ears.

thirty-nine.

An hour or so later, Toby called to say that he was pretty sure he could get Audrey out on bail, but that Max needed to come downtown to sign some papers. Nigel and I left Daphne to look after Olive and returned to the hotel. Not feeling very sociable, we ordered room service. While we waited for it to arrive, Nigel made us a drink.

"So what do you thing will happen to Audrey?" Nigel asked as he handed me my gla.s.s.

I took a sip. "I have no idea. Obviously, she'll be well defended, but I don't know about the rest of it."

Nigel sat next to me on the loveseat. He put his arm around my shoulder and took a sip from his gla.s.s. Skippy curled up at our feet. "Do you think she might have actually done it?" he asked.

"She might have," I said. "Lord knows if I were married to him, I'd want to kill him."

"If you were married to him, I'd kill him," said Nigel, giving me a kiss.

I smiled. "You say the nicest things, Mr. Martini."

_____.

We awoke the next morning to the peal of the telephone. Nigel answered it. "Oh, hi, Marcy," he said. "Yes, she's right here. Hang on." He handed me the phone.

"h.e.l.lo?" I said.

"Hi, Nic," said Marcy. "Sorry to call so early, but I thought you'd want to hear this." I glanced at the alarm clock. It was 8:05.

"No problem. What's up?"

"Well, just when I thought this case couldn't get any weirder, it did. We got the autopsy report on Leo this morning. Guess what he died from?"

"I a.s.sumed that it was from the stab wounds."

"Well, you'd be wrong."

I sat up. "You mean he wasn't murdered?"

"Oh, no," she said. "He was murdered all right. But it was poison, not a knife that killed him."

"Poison!" I repeated. Nigel looked at me and mouthed the word "What?" I held up a finger indicating for him to wait a minute. "What kind of poison?" I asked.

"Right now, it looks like hemlock."

"Hemlock!" Nigel's eyes opened wide. "Dear G.o.d. What does this mean for Audrey?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure. But, even if Audrey stabbed Leo, I don't see how she could be charged for murder since the knife didn't kill him. Anyway, I just thought you'd want to know. I'll keep you posted."

I thanked Marcy and turned to Nigel. "Leo was poisoned," I told him. "With hemlock, apparently. He was already dead when he was stabbed."

Nigel let out a low whistle. "Are they going drop the charges against Audrey?"

"Marcy didn't say. But, I would imagine they are going to have to dig around a little more before they home in on a suspect. The fact that he was poisoned widens the circle of possible candidates."

Nigel shook his head. "Leave it to Leo to get murdered twice."

_____.

Nigel called Daphne to tell her the news. She seemed just as surprised as we were. She said she would call Max and then call us back. Nigel and I got dressed and ordered room service. While we waited for it to arrive, Max called.

"Is it true?" he asked. "Did someone poison Leo?"

"That's what the coroner thinks," I said. "I'm not sure what this does for Audrey, but I have to imagine it helps."

"I agree. I'm going to call the DA now and see what they think. If there's a G.o.d, maybe we can get the charges dropped and put an end to this."

"I hope they drop the charges, but this latest development hardly puts an end to it, Max. The police are still going to want to know who poisoned Leo," I said.

"Oh, I know, but I think we can make a valid case that one of Leo's more unsavory acquaintances had a hand in that. That Frank Little man, for instance."

I made a noncommittal response and asked Max to keep us posted. He promised he would and then hung up. I held the phone in my hand for a moment thinking. Then I asked Nigel to find me Janet Harris's phone number.

forty.

By late afternoon, Audrey had been released. The DA had not yet decided if he was going to pursue his case against her, but Max was confident that it was only a matter of time before he dropped all charges. In the meantime, Audrey had surrendered her pa.s.sport and promised not to leave town.

Olive was overjoyed at the news. She hugged Audrey fiercely and sobbed with relief when she saw her. We had all gathered at Max's for Audrey's homecoming. Audrey appeared pale and almost in shock. "So, Leo was poisoned?" she asked us.

I nodded. "That's what the coroner thinks."

Audrey looked at me in disbelief. "This is all so surreal. I feel as if I'm in a dream. Well, more of a nightmare really."

Olive patted her hand. "I know, dear. But the worst is over. You'll see. You will be happy again. You will be strong again. You will be you again."

Audrey looked down at her hands. She twisted her wedding ring a few times and then removed it, placing it on the table in front of her. Skippy moved toward her and laid his head on her lap. Audrey smiled at him and began to pet his head. "I hope so," she said. "I'd like to think that will happen. I don't like who I became when I was with Leo. I was so obsessed with making him happy that I didn't notice how miserable I was. I let myself get lost along the way."

Olive clutched Audrey's hands in hers. Skippy gave her a baleful look at the loss of her attention. "You don't know how happy it makes me feel to hear you say that, my dear," she said. "I know it's been a terrible time for you, but maybe now the fog is finally lifting. Maybe now you'll be able to once again see things clearly."

Daphne had been sitting quietly on the couch, nervously chewing at her fingernails. She now said, "Audrey? I just want you to know how ashamed I am for what I did. I never should have taken money from your account. When I think about everything that's happened, I can't help wondering if it all could have been avoided had I just been honest. I'm so, so sorry."

Audrey produced a faint smile. "It's okay, Daph. I understand. When you're desperate you do desperate things. If anyone understands that, it's me. Look at me. I removed evidence that Leo had killed that woman. I sat back and did nothing while he tried to blackmail you. I was so worried about how we appeared that I lost sight of myself. I lost sight of what's right. I just want you all to know that I appreciate you sticking by me. And I promise, I will never lose myself again."

"We're family, Audrey," said Max with a kind smile. "We stick by one another, good times and bad. The important thing is that you are home. And that calls for a drink. What can I get everyone?"

Orders were duly placed, and Toby offered to help Max fill them. When they left the room, Olive whispered to Audrey, "Now, there's a young man you can count on."

Daphne rolled her eyes, "Subtle, Mother. Very subtle."

Audrey smiled. "Toby is amazing, and I'd be very lucky if he cared for me, but I don't think he thinks of me that way, Aunt Olive."

It was Olive's turn to roll her eyes. "Then you're blind, my dear. That man adores you. He'd marry you in heartbeat. You've been given a second chance at love. Take it."

Audrey looked quizzically at Olive and then toward the doorway where Toby had just exited with Max. For the first time this week, her expression was almost hopeful.

Next to me, Nigel muttered in a low voice only I could hear, "Call me old-fashioned, but maybe she should bury the first husband first."

forty-one.

It was late by the time Nigel and I returned to our hotel. There was a message at the front desk from Janet Harris. She had returned my call. I hadn't given her my cell phone number. I wanted to make sure I was alone when I took her call. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was too late to call her back. It would have to wait until morning. Which was just as well; I suspected I wasn't going to like what she had to tell me.

Nigel took off his blazer when we got back to our room and flung it on the bed. Skippy stared mournfully at the occupied s.p.a.ce. "I'm making a drink," he said. "Would you like one?"

"Yes, please," I answered as I retrieved his coat and hung it up in the closet. Skippy jumped up onto the vacated spot and settled in. I opted for the chair. Nigel returned with my drink and sat in the other chair.

"Cheers," he said as he clinked his gla.s.s against mine.

"Back 'atcha," I replied.

"I have one quick housekeeping item that we need to go over," he said as he stretched his legs onto the ottoman.

"I'm all ears," I replied, taking a sip.

He produced an exaggerated leer. "Don't sell yourself short, sweetheart. What I wanted to talk to you about is this; as you know, we are scheduled to return home tomorrow."

"This is true."

"However, I suspect that we aren't, are we?"