Dooley Is Dead Page 5

  He pulled off his blue Duke cap, ran fingers through his curls, then put the cap back on his head. Lori’s boyfriend, Trev, was okay, but he was kinda scary. Everyone knew he’d done three deployments in Iraq. The guys said he was a killer with a screw loose, but Billy didn’t buy it. All the same, he got lost when Trev told him to.

  Thing was, Lori was always in a good mood after screwing her boyfriend, always gave Billy something to eat or drink, sometimes hugged him. So he squared his shoulders, took a deep breath of the stinky, fresh-cut grass smell, and trudged up the lawn to her house.

  Now all he needed was the right excuse and found it rolling around in the flowerbed. Kiki, Lori’s big fat Siamese cat was loose. Her long white fur was stained grass green and mud brown. Lori would be pissed with Kiki, but grateful to Billy for catching her. Because Kiki was never ever allowed outside.

  She was surprisingly light when he scooped her up, but she growled deep in her throat and nipped his chin. So he held her at arm’s length, away from his face, and ran around to the back door. He figured Lori was in the kitchen, since the tough girl who’d been here before, the one carrying the wedding present, the one who came with the grouchy white-haired lady who didn’t even know today was Saturday---that girl had gone round back.

  But now everyone was gone. Billy jammed Kiki under his arm and knocked hard, but the door swung open to his touch. Weird. Billy hesitated, then shoved the door with his left sneaker.

  “You home, Miss Lori?”

  Nothing. He dropped Kiki inside. The cat crouched low and scuttled across the linoleum to her food bowl. Billy tried again.

  “Hey, Miss Lori, it’s Billy Martin. I found Kiki out in the bushes…”

  The house was dead silent. He heard the low hum of the refrigerator and smelled the nasty stench of the cat box. He listened for the sound of water pulsing in the shower. This had happened once before. Lori came running downstairs with her hair dripping wet, with bare feet and pink toenails. She had a towel wrapped around her waist, but her big boobs hung out like vanilla ice cream cones topped with juicy red cherries. She had screamed to find him there, and Billy screamed, too.

  But today---nothing. He moved cautiously inside as the small hairs on the back of his neck prickled. The kitchen was too cold. The air conditioning was running, but the windows were wide open. Not right.

  Bottled water on the table and two coffee cups on the counter, with little brown pools at the bottom of each glass. Billy knew Lori kept the Moon Pies in the breadbox. He could almost taste the puffy chocolaty crusts and the marshmallow filling as he inched forward.

  Then Kiki’s tail stood erect and waved back and forth in the air as she tiptoed around the counter. Billy followed. Kiki stopped, meowed, sniffed at the bare feet lying loose on the floor. Each foot had five pink toenails. Billy froze.

  The feet were connected to two long, tan legs, which were connected to the curly triangle of Lori’s crotch. Billy stared at the lady lying on the floor. The white terrycloth bathrobe was twisted around her body and had fallen open in front. Her long, soft brown hair floated around her face like a halo. Her startled blue eyes gazed at the ceiling. Her red lips were parted in a silent scream. And a shiny carving knife grew from between her vanilla breasts, while Kiki’s paws turned red in the pool of blood.

  EIGHT

  Some girl talk…

  Diana was badly shaken by her confrontation with Ginny. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so nosey, shouldn’t have pressed Ginny about what happened at the bride-to-be’s house, or maybe Ginny’s angry response had nothing to do with Diana? Whatever. She had definitely gotten off on the wrong foot with Matthew’s daughter and wished like hell she could start the ill-fated weekend all over again.

  She closed her eyes, counted to ten, then stepped out onto the flagstone porch to retrieve her cosmetic case and cappuccino machine. As she bent down, something caught her attention out in the parking lot. First she saw Matthew’s truck bouncing across the speed bumps, next the familiar Honda with the silly photo of Liz McCorkle laminated to its door.

  Diana groaned when Liz drove into Diana’s slot and parked, because all Diana wanted was to hide, to hole up and lick her wounds, but clearly that was not to be. When Liz opened the passenger door, Amazing Grace leaped out, panting and straining at the end of her leash. And much as she loved her greyhound, she was in no mood for company---human or canine.

  As they approached, she noticed Liz’s face was almost as red as her hair, and by the angry set of her jaw, she knew her young partner was in a snit. But why? Diana forced a smile and braced herself as Liz let go of the leash and Gracie bounded up the steps. The dog jumped, planted her dainty paws on Diana’s chest, and covered her face with long, flicky kisses. Okay, at least someone was in good spirits.

  “Hi, Liz, I didn’t expect to see you today.”

  Suddenly Liz was in her face. “Oh yeah? So what are you doing home? I thought you’d be long gone for that getaway weekend?”

  “Well I…”

  “And who the hell was that rude woman driving Trout’s truck?”

  “Well hello to you, too.” Diana interrupted. “Want to come inside, or do we keep shouting at one another out here on the porch?”

  Gracie made the decision for them. She rushed past and made a beeline for Diana’s sunroom, where she knew she’d encounter Perry, Diana’s foul-mouthed parrot. Moments later they heard good-natured barking, then inevitably, Perry’s furious response.

  “Damn dog, damn dog, damn dog!”

  More barking. At least Gracie was having fun.

  Both women had to laugh. Perry had been taught his salty vocabulary by his original owner, an equally profane old man who had been Diana’s client back in Pennsylvania. When the man died, he left Perry to Diana in his Will, and the bird had been a source of endless embarrassment ever since.

  “Will Gracie ever stop tormenting that bird?” Liz giggled.

  “Nope. She thinks it’s her mission in life to worry Perry to death. Joke is, Perry will likely outlive us all.”

  Diana picked up her cappuccino machine. Liz retrieved the cosmetic case with her left hand and looped her right through Diana’s arm. “Okay, let’s call a truce and start over, girlfriend.”

  So they moved inside, leaving the big, bad, inhospitable world behind. While Liz gulped in the cool air conditioning, Diana hurried to the sunroom and covered Perry’s cage. She latched onto Gracie’s collar and dragged her protesting all the way to the kitchen.

  “C’mon, Liz, let’s find something to drink.”

  Once Liz had joined them, Diana put up a baby gate to separate her warring pets. She filled Gracie’s aluminum bowl with cold water and tossed her a dog biscuit. “Okay now, everybody chill.”

  Liz placed her hands on her hips and struck a pose. “Now you know you have some explaining to do, Diana. But before you do, what drink did you have in mind?”

  “Iced tea?”

  Liz glanced at her watch. “Eleven forty-five. Early, I know, but how ’bout a beer? I just encountered a former client in your parking lot. Jerk offered me a Bud, and I’ve been thirsty ever since.”

  Diana frowned. “Don’t you have some paperwork to complete? We have a closing on Monday.”

  “As I recall, you dumped all that shit on me because you just had to get away, but here you are. I figure we can drink now, enjoy some girl talk, then split the work load later. Am I right?”

  When Diana’s plans with Matthew fell through, she had hoped to sneak home and wallow in self-pity, but now Liz was here, and God knew Diana needed a drink. She did a mental inventory of her refrigerator.

  “Sorry, no beer. Want some wine?”

  “Sold.”

  She felt Liz’s curious eyes boring into her back as she took out two long-stemmed glasses and a chilled bottle of white zinfandel. Matthew didn’t drink, but Diana had been planning to include this bottle along with her next load of possessions when, after their first week of successful cohabitation, she mo
ved in with Matthew for their pre-marital test drive. Too bad.

  “Is it shady on your patio yet?” Liz asked. “It’d be fun to get shit-faced while we watch the boats, if it’s not too hot.”

  “It’ll be hard to get mellow on this one bottle. But I do have a box of stale Saltines available to soak up the alcohol.” Diana had pretty much used up all her food and snacks in anticipation of the move. “But yes, the patio is shady now.”

  “Bring the booze, skip the crackers.”

  Liz stepped over the baby gate and walked into the living room to gape at Diana’s extensive art collection. The eclectic paintings were treasures from her former life---as were the oriental carpet and a ceiling-high antique case full of books. Liz didn’t get it. She thought Diana’s obsessions with art, books, and even classical music were crazy. Diana didn’t mind.

  Because as Diana watched Liz stare, she realized what she wanted from her young partner was not someone to share her aesthetics, but a friend to lend support, someone she could trust, an advocate to pull Diana out of her shell. That was Liz.

  Gracie was determined to join them, so Diana asked Liz to open the glass doors to the patio while Diana removed the gate, and the greyhound galloped through the shoot to the great outdoors. A three- foot high brick wall surrounded the patio, so Gracie was obliged to settle in with the girls, which suited her just fine. When the humans plopped down onto lounges, the dog slithered into the shade of the umbrella table and stretched out on the cool tiles.

  “I came here because I forgot the dog food,” Liz began. “Remind me to take it when I leave, or will Gracie be staying with you?”

  Good question. At the moment Diana literally didn’t know if she was coming---or going. Ever since she rescued Gracie last year, Fate had conspired to pull them apart. First the condo’s home owners’ association had voted to exclude large dogs, although Diana’s pet was grudgingly given a pass since she had arrived before the ban. Next Perry and Gracie had decided they hated one another. So Diana fervently hoped Gracie would like Matthew’s Ursie once they met, making her life a whole lot simpler.

  “Well?” Liz persisted. “You know Danny will be heartbroken if I come home without her.”

  Diana sighed. “Okay, why don’t you take her for now?” She sensed Liz’s scrutiny, saw the girl watching through narrowed green eyes, and figured she was in for a grilling. Sure enough, Liz tore into her as soon as Diana finished pouring their wine.

  “Truth time, Diana. What’s up with you? It’s about Trout, isn’t it? Did you guys have a fight?”

  “Of course not.” Diana gazed at the lake, where power boats and water skiers zigged and zagged between the white triangles of bobbing sailboats barely holding their own in the choppy wake.

  Liz took a long swallow of wine and cleared her throat. “Okay, then why was that girl unloading your stuff from Trout’s truck?”

  Diana heard children shouting and laughing down at the community swimming pool. She could almost smell the creamy sunscreen lotion warming their pink shoulders.

  Liz leaned forward in her lounge. “Oh my God, you were planning to move in with him, weren’t you, Diana?”

  Diana nodded slowly. She wished somehow life could be as simple as it used to be when she was a young mother like the ones at poolside, when the most challenging decision was whether to feed her kids a nourishing tuna casserole for dinner, or the burgers and fries they preferred. The junk food guaranteed their good behavior for that evening, so too often she had taken the easy way out.

  “Jesus, this is huge!” Liz was thrilled. “Do you know how long I’ve been praying for you and Trout to hook up? How many times did I beg you to give him a chance? You know he loves you, he’s good for you, he’s the rock solid man you need, girl, so what the hell happened?”

  Diana paused only a moment, squinted at a small private plane doing circles up in the clouds, then spilled the truth as she knew it. “His daughter happened.”

  Liz choked on her wine, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stood up, placed her empty glass on the table, and began to pace. Diana could almost hear the wheels grinding in her head as Liz tried to shift out of neutral

  Finally Liz clicked into gear. “I knew I recognized that girl in Trout’s truck. She was his kid, General Ginny. We met on the hockey field a million years ago.”

  “You know her? But you grew up in Charlotte, and Ginny’s from Mooresville.”

  “Yeah, but when I was ten, my folks started sending me up to Lake Norman for summer camp. It was only two weeks each year, but they were the worst weeks of my life. Mostly because of General Ginny.”

  Diana couldn’t believe it. “How come you never mentioned Ginny before, all the time I’ve been dating Matthew…?”

  Liz sank back down on the lounge and poured them each more wine. “Well, she was long gone, wasn’t she? And I could tell she was a sore subject with Trout, so why bring it up? Truth is, I totally forgot about her until today, or maybe I put her out of my mind.”

  “But why did you call her General Ginny?”

  As the sun passed high noon and began drifting down the afternoon side of the sky, as they finished the bottle, Liz explained how young Ginny had been the hockey field bully---fastest on her feet and first to trip the other girls. Diana tried to defend Ginny, saying perhaps the girl was acting out because her mother was dying of cancer, but Liz disagreed.

  “Maybe she was insecure, but I say she was just plain mean. The boys loved her, though, and Ginny had a different date every night of the week. Everyone was jealous.”

  “Were you jealous?”

  Liz licked the rim of her empty glass. “You bet your sweet ass I was jealous. Back then I was an ugly little red mop with freckles. Guys didn’t give me the time of day.”

  Gracie practiced snapping at flies unlucky enough to land near her paws, while Liz and Diana swapped what little they knew about Matthew’s wayward child. Eventually, after hearing about Ginny’s daughter, Melissa, and the hard life they had both endured, Liz’s attitude softened and she conceded maybe the time had come to put her childhood prejudices behind.

  “But why did Ginny come home after all these years?” Liz wondered.

  Diana told her about Ginny’s plans to attend the wedding of her ex boyfriend, Trevor. “Maybe he was in your summer camp, too?”

  “Nope, I never knew any boy named Trevor. Who’s he marrying?”

  “A woman named Lori Fowler. She lives in Highland Gardens.”

  Suddenly Liz got pale and her mouth turned down at the corners. “Jeez, I don’t believe it.”

  “Don’t tell me you know Lori, too?”

  Liz shook her head. “No, but my boyfriend Danny thinks she’s sexy as all get out. She hired him to paint the interior of her house last summer, and I swear the man was half in love with her.”

  “So you’re jealous of both Ginny and Lori?” Diana couldn’t resist planting that barb, because as much as Liz professed to have put her childhood insecurities behind, when it came to Danny Cappelli, Liz was possessive as a queen bee guarding her honey.

  But Liz didn’t rise to Diana’s bait. “In fact, Diana, Danny was invited to Lori’s wedding, and instead of trying to get me invited, like he should have, he had the nerve to ask me to buy Lori’s present.”

  “So, did you?”

  “Sure, I delivered it to the church yesterday, per the bride’s wishes.”

  “Hmm, that’s funny.” Diana explained how she and Ginny had attempted to take Ginny’s gift to Lori’s home that very morning.

  “Well, maybe Ginny didn’t know any better?”

  “Maybe not.”

  The wine must have gone straight to Diana’s head, for suddenly she felt a little dizzy. “Hey, I need some food in my stomach. How ’bout I call out for a pizza?”

  “Are you buying?”

  “Absolutely.” Diana had carried her cell phone out to the patio, hoping that Matthew would call and restore her pathetic world to the more hopeful pl
ace it had been twenty-four short hours ago. But just as she prepared to speed dial for her favorite white pizza with spinach, mushrooms, and green peppers, the phone rang of its own accord. She glanced at caller ID and Matthew’s name popped up.

  “Speak of the devil…” she murmured and picked up. “Hi, sweetie…”

  As Diana listened to what Matthew had to say, her ragged emotions got squeezed through a myriad of wringers. At the same time, she wondered how on God’s earth she could explain it all to Liz. Her face must have given her away.

  “What?” Liz demanded when she hung up. “Please don’t tell me our pizza date is off?”

  “Will you take a rain check?”

  Gracie caught a fly between her teeth.

  Liz rolled her eyes. “Sure, and I bet you expect me to do all the office shit on my own?”

  “Would you mind, Liz?”

  “But why?”

  “Because Matthew needs me. It seems General Ginny forgot to buy her daughter a birthday cake.”

  NINE

  Matthew…

  “Now what, Grandpa?”

  Good question. Matthew didn’t know if he was coming or going. Because ever since Diana left with Ginny that morning, shattering their plans to live together, since his long lost daughter showed up with her almost-six-years- old surprise package, he’d had no idea what his future would hold. And since sweet little Lissa had attached herself like his miniature shadow, Matthew hadn’t had one free minute to contemplate, let alone resolve, any of these issues.

  “Where are you taking our fish?” Lissa demanded.

  She wore a purple swimsuit and pink flip-flops. Her amazing red hair was frizzy and tangled from multiple dips in the lake, and in spite of the many coatings of sunscreen he had slathered all over her, Lissa’s nose and shoulders were pink and dotted with new freckles.

  “I have to clean the fish now,” Matthew told her. “You run up to the house and take a shower while I do it.”