Not only was Andrea in when Olivia called, but she agreed to the interview immediately.
“I live a few blocks away from Penny,” Andrea said. “Come right over. I need to talk, anyhow.”
Olivia left the hotel quickly, grabbed a cab, and was at Andrea’s garden apartment in less than fifteen minutes. When she got to the door, to Olivia’s surprise, it was open, waiting for her.
“Come in,” Andrea called as Olivia paused and knocked.
Olivia entered a spacious hallway that led to a living room off to the right. When Olivia walked in, she saw Andrea sitting, curled up on a chair in the corner. She was dressed in dark cotton slacks and a black shirt. Her long, rather stringy dark hair was uncombed and, sitting there in the chair, she looked uneasy. To Olivia’s surprise, Andrea did not get up to greet her.
Olivia looked around. The rest of the room was haphazard and messy, with papers and magazines scattered here and there.
“Hello, Andrea, I’m Olivia,” she said as she walked over to where Andrea was sitting.
“I heard about you from Penny. You’re just a little bit older than me, not much,” Andrea commented as she looked Olivia over.
“That’s true,” said Olivia lightly, not going further with it.
“I’ve been Penny’s best friend since high school,” Andrea announced proudly. “We’ve been inseparable since the day we met.”
“So great to have a best friend like that,” Olivia murmured.
“Penny’s more like a sister,” Andrea corrected herself.
“Definitely,” agreed Olivia. It was good that they were close in age and Andrea would feel that Olivia could understand her.
“Do you have a sister?” Andrea asked.
“I do,” Olivia replied, not wanting to get into it. She had no intention of telling Andrea that she actually had a twin sister, Mauve, and that the two of them had always been distant. In fact, Olivia had always longed for a sister to be close to.
Andrea tucked her chin in further and curled her arms tighter around herself. “Most people have either a sister or brother or someone,” she said bitterly.
Olivia was surprised by her bitterness. “Are you an only child?”
“You could put it that way,” Andrea mumbled. “I never met my real parents. I was raised by foster parents, who never adopted me. They kept me after I aged out, though. I’m grateful for that, at least.”
“They raised you here in Key Biscayne?” Olivia found Andrea interesting.
“No. They moved here when I was in high school, which was when I met Penny. We were both on the debate team.”
“That’s interesting,” said Olivia.
“Penny and I always saw eye to eye and that’s never changed,” Andrea declared, carefully positioning herself.
“That’s fortunate,” murmured Olivia. “Friends can become closer than family.”
Andrea perked up at that comment. “You can say that again!” she burst out. “A good friend is family, no doubt about it.”
“How’s Penny doing?” asked Olivia.
“How can she be doing? Her father’s dead.” Andrea became mournful. “Part of her knows it and part is still in shock. When it all sinks in and Penny really realizes that he’s gone, she’ll probably fall apart totally. I’ll be around, though, to pick up the pieces.”
“How about you?” Olivia eased into the question slowly. Actually, Andrea seemed extremely disturbed by the murder, more than Penny had, actually.
“I’m not doing so great, to be honest,” Andrea answered quickly. “How can I be? I feel even worse about this than Penny.”
“How come?” Olivia was fascinated.
“Penny blocks things out.” Andrea rocked back and forth on her chair. “And she leans on Lance, her brother. Penny’s always had someone to lean on, either Lance or her father or mother! Penny’s had it all, including plenty of money in her pockets. She’s not used to being abandoned.”
“Unlike you,” Olivia commented softly.
“That’s right,” said Andrea forcefully. “I learned to lean on myself very early on. Penny didn’t. True, she has a job and works now. But she doesn’t really need to. Basically, she’s doing it to keep herself busy until she finds herself a good husband.”
The bitterness in Andrea’s tone became more and more apparent.
“You don’t sound as if you respect Penny much,” Olivia couldn’t help but comment.
“No, I do respect her. I love Penny. She’s a wonderful friend. She has a heart of gold and would do anything for me,” Andrea objected.
“And you also work for her father, don’t you?” Olivia wanted to find out more.
“Yes, I’m a medical assistant and a good one,” claimed Andrea. “Mort was lucky to have me on his staff. I could have gotten a job anywhere.”
“I’m sure you could have,” said Olivia.
“In fact, Penny wanted me to get the job with her dad. She went all out for me,” Andrea remarked.
“And was her father good to you, too?” Olivia’s asked in a softer tone.
Andrea paused and played with her hair, twirling it around and around in her fingers again.
“Was he?” Olivia pushed it.
Finally Andrea shrugged. “Mort was good to me in his way, but he was distant. At work he treated me just like everyone else there, not like a part of his family.”
Olivia was surprised by the intensity behind Andrea’s comment. “Was that okay with you?”
Andrea shrugged. “It was and it wasn’t,” she uttered. “Of course I wanted him to be more like a dad to me, but he wouldn’t.”
“That disappointed you?” Olivia felt she was getting close to something important.
“Of course it disappointed me,” said Andrea. “It would disappoint you, too, wouldn’t it?”
“Naturally.” Olivia wanted to keep Andrea talking about it.
Andrea jumped up from the chair then. “It’s a relief to hear that! What you’re really saying is that I’m not crazy!”
“Who said you were crazy?” Olivia was fascinated.
“Nobody,” Andrea answered crisply, “but I can’t help wondering that myself from time to time.”
“You wonder if you’re crazy because you were disappointed by Penny’s father?” Olivia dug in.
Andrea got very close to Olivia then, and her voice became raspy. “I think I’m crazy because deep down, unlike everybody else, I never really liked Mort much.”
Olivia took a step back, nervously. “Why not?”
“Mort’s next door neighbor Margaret doesn’t either,” Andrea continued, bitterly. “She told me herself. She wouldn’t tell everyone, but she told me one night. She said she just wasn’t comfortable around him. I was so relieved to hear it.”
“Why didn’t you like him?” Olivia pushed it. “Why didn’t she?”
“Why should I?” Andrea suddenly seemed on the verge of tears.
Olivia remembered Wayne saying that Andrea was jealous of Mort’s wife, Christine. “Did your feelings have anything to do with his wife, Christine?”
At that Andrea took a few steps back. “Who said that? Who have you been talking to?”
“I was just wondering,” said Olivia.
“You’re smart, you’re sharp,” Andrea burst out. “You can probably see for yourself what a drama queen Christine is, desperate for attention and always flashing her big jewelry in front of anyone who’s around.”
“Isn’t the jewelry part of her own line?” Olivia was confused about why this would bother Andrea.
“No, it’s the jewelry Mort gives her, again and again! That’s the whole point of it,” Andrea insisted. “Christine just wants everyone to see how much Mort loves her, how important she is to him.”
Both Olivia and Andrea took a deep breath then at the very same moment.
“Mort loved her a lot more than he cared about you,” Olivia whispered almost under her breath.
Andrea heard every word. “Of course he did, that’s normal,” she exclaimed. “But it’s not nice or normal to flaunt things in your face the way Christine did. It’s like she wanted everyone else to remember that she was number one, and to stay away from him.”
Red lights flashed for Olivia as Andrea kept talking.
“Where were you when Mort was killed?” Olivia asked suddenly.
Andrea stopped and smiled strangely. “You’re not asking me if I did it, are you?”
“No, of course not,” said Olivia. “It’s just a routine part of my job to find out where everyone was at the time of the murder.”
Andrea’s smile twisted oddly. “Well, actually, I was with Penny all afternoon. There was a storm that day and we went into town to spend the time together shopping.”
Perfect alibi, thought Olivia, though she said nothing.
“Did I pass the test? Am I off the hook?” Andrea’s eyes narrowed.
“Who said you were ever on the hook?” Olivia responded plainly.
*
The interview with Andrea left a bitter taste. Andrea seemed to know just what she was doing and saying. Her story and alibi all fit together perfectly, but there were large holes in the picture for Olivia. Who knew what really went on between Andrea and Christine, or even between Andrea and Mort? It was obvious how badly Andrea wanted a father. Had she placed too many hopes for that onto Mort? Or had something actually happened between them that pushed Andrea over the edge? Olivia also thought of the neighbor who didn’t like Mort either. Olivia would have to speak to her soon, as well. Under the din of a well-tuned life there were always jarring notes you could hear if you listened closely.
As Olivia took a cab back to the hotel now, she knew Wayne would be there waiting. It was the perfect time to fill each other in and have a late lunch. Olivia hoped all would be easy and natural by now. She even wished the unfortunate encounter between them had never even happened. What had she been thinking? It was just that working on a case took so much of her time, it seemed impossible to include a personal life or the chance to go out and meet others. Olivia would have to find a way to balance that. She wanted and needed the closeness and warmth that a real connection with a man could give her.
To her surprise, when Olivia got back to the hotel, Wayne was outside on a bench in the front, waiting.
“Good to see you,” he said when Olivia got out of the cab. “I was just wondering how the interview with Andrea was going.”
“Lots to talk about,” Olivia answered lightly, smiling. “Let’s go to the coffee shop and get something to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
*
Olivia and Wayne went to a lovely café in the hotel. To Olivia’s surprise, when she entered, the outside of the place was surrounded by trees filled with sparkling lights and little birds flying in them. The atmosphere inside was warm and relaxed. A perfect place to forget your cares. And, thankfully, there were no ruffled feathers and the mood between her and Wayne was pleasant. Nevertheless, Olivia was determined to keep things on track and as professional as possible.
Once they were seated and their orders taken, they looked at each other directly. Wayne seemed a bit sad and also confused. For a split second Olivia wanted to cry, but quickly pushed her emotions to the background. Fortunately they had the case to talk about and she quickly plunged in.
“Andrea is a strange character,” Olivia started. “There’s a bitter, morose quality about her. She’s Penny’s best friend, almost like a sister, but she herself was raised by foster parents.”
Wayne was glued to every word Olivia was saying. “Did you ask her about her relationship with Christine?”
“Yes, she said Christine flaunted her relationship with Mort, seemed possessive of him. Apparently, according to Andrea, Christine wanted to let everyone know she was number one in his life.”
Wayne nodded slowly and smiled. “Common stuff,” he said, “not exactly cause for murder.”
“Not exactly,” Olivia agreed, “but it’s worth looking into further. Who knows who else Christine upset? And why she had to be so blatant about her relationship with Mort? By the way, Andrea also commented that she didn’t much like Mort and that their next door neighbor Margaret didn’t either. So at least there’s a little chink in the armor.”
“Good.” Wayne was pleased to hear it. “You’ll talk to Margaret and also Christine soon, I imagine.”
“Very soon,” said Olivia. “And what did you find at Mort’s office?”
“The high point was learning that Andrea was jealous of Christine,” said Wayne. “Otherwise, things there seem in good order. There’s some money in a personal bank account of Mort’s that was not accounted for, but taxes were fully paid on it. Basically, that’s common. Nothing else really caught my attention.”
“Shouldn’t you explore the clinics in Nashville as well, and whatever went on there?” asked Olivia.
“In due time.” Wayne seemed thoughtful. “The murder happened down here and the police can be territorial. When they’re ready, if they have to, they’ll start looking in Nashville as well. They’re also waiting to see what happens in Nashville when Mort doesn’t return. They’re waiting to hear from people down there. See who and what turns up.”
“So far nothing?” asked Olivia, fascinated.
“So far things are quiet,” replied Wayne. “His clinics down there seem to be taking things in their stride. The good news, of course, is that they’ve got Hank Waring in custody now, and are bringing him back to town. Nothing will happen until he’s investigated. The case will only move forward if he’s cleared.”
“The police are convinced it’s him, aren’t they?” Olivia murmured.
“They’re sure hoping so,” Wayne replied. “In fact, they want us to be at the station first thing tomorrow morning when they’ll be grilling him.”
“Good,” said Olivia.
“That will definitely be a turning point,” said Wayne. “Could be the case will be over fast.”
“Could be,” said Olivia, “but somehow I think we have a long way to go.”
“Based on what?” Wayne was interested.
“Based on my gut.” Olivia smiled. “This definitely isn’t one, big, happy family. Just wait and see what comes out.”
*
After lunch was over, Olivia and Wayne walked to the elevator in the lobby together slowly and got in.
“I’m thrilled there are no hard feelings here,” Wayne said as they got off on their floor.
“I’m relieved about that as well,” said Olivia. “And I’m pleased that at the very least, we’re absolutely clear about where we’re going and who we are.”