said slowly as she nudged me with her elbow, “is Ronnie Mallett's cousin. She's come to Seattle to help prove Ronnie's innocence. I'm here to help her.”
Maybeth's blue eyes widened, then narrowed. “Innocent, my butt. Ronnie did it, and that's that. Hey, I don't much appreciate you two nosing around here and asking me a bunch of stupid questions. If you want to lie to people, go pick on somebody else before I call the cops.”
Vida started to dispute the charges, but the blond man had gotten up from the sofa and was coming toward us with a bowlegged walk.
“What's going down, Beth?” he asked, glaring at Vida and me. “Who're these two broads?”
Maybeth pointed at me. “She's Ronnie Mallett's cousin. The other one's a big snoop.”
“Get lost,” the man ordered. “We don't hang with killers.”
“Maybe you should,” Vida snapped, oblivious to contemporary slang. “For all we know, you
are
the killer. Ronnie didn't do it.”
“Where's Budweiser?” I demanded, finally getting a word in edgewise.
The man had started to pull Maybeth back inside, but he stopped. “The dog?” He glanced at his supposed girlfriend. “Where is he, Beth?”
“Dead, I hope. That stupid mutt nearly drove me crazy when Ronnie left him tied up out back. He'd bark and bark and bark, sometimes all night. Between the barking and fighting, it's a wonder I can hear the TV. Thank God that animal shut up after Ronnie left that night. I get a killer headache with my allergies.”
The phrase seemed apt. I pressed Maybeth about Bud-weiser's whereabouts.
“I think Mr. Chan took him away,” she said, shooting us another hostile look.
“Jeez, I hope not,” the man said. “I liked that dog. I'll take him. Call Chan.”
“Come on, Roy, you don't really want to—” May-beth's words were cut off as Roy slammed the door in our faces.
“Roy?” Vida looked like a dog herself, a bloodhound on the scent. Her nose actually twitched. “Didn't you tell me that Kathy Addison said that Roy was the name of Carol's ex-beau?”
“I did,” I said, marveling anew at Vida's mind for detail. “If Carol stole Ronnie from Maybeth, did she offer Roy as a consolation prize?”
“That's what it seems like,” Vida said as we walked away from the building. “Of course, it could be a different Roy.”
Vida had stopped just short of the Lexus. “We forgot about Henrietta. Shall we go back and ask her what she knows about Roy and Maybeth and Carol?”
“We might as well,” I agreed. “We still have time to kill. Maybe I can call Mr. Chan about the dog. I'd like to give Ronnie some good news.”
Vida looked askance. “You aren't thinking of taking him home with you? What about those dreadful cats you acquired?”
“First things first,” I said as we returned to the apartment walkway. “Let's hope Henrietta isn't on duty.”
She wasn't. “Five days off,” she said, ushering us inside. “That's what I get after a long shift. It's nice. How about some coffee?”
We declined. Then Vida launched into her tell-all tale about who we really were and what we wanted. Luckily, Henrietta's reaction was different from Maybeth's. She laughed her head off.
“I never!” she exclaimed, her face turning red from laughter. “That's a hoot. You two sure had me fooled.”
“I feel bad about the deception,” I said. “It wasn't fair to you.”
“Don't be silly,” Henrietta asserted, waving a hand. “Let's face it, I lead a dull life. Work in the OR, listen to the doctors talk about their golf game and their stock investments, come home to an empty apartment, watch TV—why, nothing exciting has happened to me in years until lately.” She paused and grew serious. “That sounds terrible, like Carol's death was some kind of entertainment. Sorry. Anyway, the cops talked to me, a nice detective was here, and now you folks. It makes my day.”
“Tell us about Maybeth and Ronnie,” Vida urged.
“Well.” Henrietta settled back in the easy
Maybeth's blue eyes widened, then narrowed. “Innocent, my butt. Ronnie did it, and that's that. Hey, I don't much appreciate you two nosing around here and asking me a bunch of stupid questions. If you want to lie to people, go pick on somebody else before I call the cops.”
Vida started to dispute the charges, but the blond man had gotten up from the sofa and was coming toward us with a bowlegged walk.
“What's going down, Beth?” he asked, glaring at Vida and me. “Who're these two broads?”
Maybeth pointed at me. “She's Ronnie Mallett's cousin. The other one's a big snoop.”
“Get lost,” the man ordered. “We don't hang with killers.”
“Maybe you should,” Vida snapped, oblivious to contemporary slang. “For all we know, you
are
the killer. Ronnie didn't do it.”
“Where's Budweiser?” I demanded, finally getting a word in edgewise.
The man had started to pull Maybeth back inside, but he stopped. “The dog?” He glanced at his supposed girlfriend. “Where is he, Beth?”
“Dead, I hope. That stupid mutt nearly drove me crazy when Ronnie left him tied up out back. He'd bark and bark and bark, sometimes all night. Between the barking and fighting, it's a wonder I can hear the TV. Thank God that animal shut up after Ronnie left that night. I get a killer headache with my allergies.”
The phrase seemed apt. I pressed Maybeth about Bud-weiser's whereabouts.
“I think Mr. Chan took him away,” she said, shooting us another hostile look.
“Jeez, I hope not,” the man said. “I liked that dog. I'll take him. Call Chan.”
“Come on, Roy, you don't really want to—” May-beth's words were cut off as Roy slammed the door in our faces.
“Roy?” Vida looked like a dog herself, a bloodhound on the scent. Her nose actually twitched. “Didn't you tell me that Kathy Addison said that Roy was the name of Carol's ex-beau?”
“I did,” I said, marveling anew at Vida's mind for detail. “If Carol stole Ronnie from Maybeth, did she offer Roy as a consolation prize?”
“That's what it seems like,” Vida said as we walked away from the building. “Of course, it could be a different Roy.”
Vida had stopped just short of the Lexus. “We forgot about Henrietta. Shall we go back and ask her what she knows about Roy and Maybeth and Carol?”
“We might as well,” I agreed. “We still have time to kill. Maybe I can call Mr. Chan about the dog. I'd like to give Ronnie some good news.”
Vida looked askance. “You aren't thinking of taking him home with you? What about those dreadful cats you acquired?”
“First things first,” I said as we returned to the apartment walkway. “Let's hope Henrietta isn't on duty.”
She wasn't. “Five days off,” she said, ushering us inside. “That's what I get after a long shift. It's nice. How about some coffee?”
We declined. Then Vida launched into her tell-all tale about who we really were and what we wanted. Luckily, Henrietta's reaction was different from Maybeth's. She laughed her head off.
“I never!” she exclaimed, her face turning red from laughter. “That's a hoot. You two sure had me fooled.”
“I feel bad about the deception,” I said. “It wasn't fair to you.”
“Don't be silly,” Henrietta asserted, waving a hand. “Let's face it, I lead a dull life. Work in the OR, listen to the doctors talk about their golf game and their stock investments, come home to an empty apartment, watch TV—why, nothing exciting has happened to me in years until lately.” She paused and grew serious. “That sounds terrible, like Carol's death was some kind of entertainment. Sorry. Anyway, the cops talked to me, a nice detective was here, and now you folks. It makes my day.”
“Tell us about Maybeth and Ronnie,” Vida urged.
“Well.” Henrietta settled back in the easy
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