seven

Alice looked through the peephole. “It’s Darla.”

“Don’t let her in,” said Charlotte. “She’s already had the crime scene tour.”

Alice took a step away from the door. “She’s carrying a clipboard. You know what that means.”

The women groaned. “The homeowners’ association,” they said in unison.

Francine had dealt with Darla before in this capacity. “Better let her in and head off any trouble now.”

Alice opened the door. Darla sashayed in with her clipboard and an iPad. “Hi, Alice.” Then she noticed the others. “Well, it’s probably best you’re all here together.” She exhaled noisily, like this was an unpleasant thing she needed to get out of the way. “Can we sit down?”

“Sure. Would you like some tea?”

“No, I won’t be here that long. Thanks anyway.”

Alice indicated the front room. Francine couldn’t help but remember that fourteen hours ago they were sitting in this very room waiting for the police to arrive. It felt less ominous in the daylight without whirling red and blue lights shining in the windows, but Darla’s visit was likely to stir up more trouble. She was the perfect homeowners’ association president, since she liked to be in everyone’s business. Those who had been on the receiving end of a visit, however, had a different opinion.

“If it were up to me,” Darla said, “I wouldn’t be here. It’s not like you intentionally violated the homeowners’ agreement. But I’ve gotten lots of calls, and I want to be able to say that we’ve talked about it.”

Charlotte took a seat. “About what? The dead body? I don’t think there’s anything about dead bodies in the homeowners’ agreement.”

“Technically, there is. Don’t you remember the roadkill clause we added a year ago? We had to put it in when Denise Faulkenberg hit that squirrel and the furry thing made it up to her lawn before it died? She wouldn’t touch it and birds pecked at it for three days?”

“I recall the incident,” Alice said, “but I hardly see how it applies.”

“The membership overwhelmingly approved the idea that a dead carcass on a homeowner’s property must be removed within twenty-four hours of its death.”

Francine could scarcely believe what she was hearing. “This was a dead body, Darla, not some unfortunate woodland creature trampled on the street. Alice didn’t even know it was there.”

“Technically,” Charlotte added, “we don’t know yet how long Friederich had been dead. She might not be in violation.”

“Look, I’m on Alice’s side here. But as the president of the Summer Ridge Homeowners’ Association, I’m required to report back that I’ve talked to you about it and that you’ve received your first warning.”

“Warning?” Alice was incredulous.

“I guess this means you’ll get no leeway for the next dead body,” Charlotte said. “Better check the shed more often.”

Darla flipped over a sheet of paper in her clipboard. “That leaves us with two other issues: the public indecency clause and the guest vehicle clause.”

“Public indecency? I defy you to prove that one!” Alice said.

Darla pushed a few buttons on her iPad, then turned it around so they could see it. “You admitted it. We don’t need pictures.”

Charlotte moved closer to the little screen. “Is that the Indianapolis Star?”

Darla turned it back around. “In tablet format, yes. ‘Skinny-dipping Grandmas Find Body.’ But it’s not just the Star. It’s all over the Internet.”

“Joy will be so happy!” Charlotte told Francine.

“The vast majority of my callers were not. And then you gave guided tours of the crime scene, which brought traffic to a halt in the subdivision. While it wasn’t strictly a party, it did have a party-like atmosphere and there were too many guest cars on the street, which is the heart of the problem. You’re not allowed to stage that kind of an event without written permission from your neighbors.”

“Her neighbors were here all morning,” said Charlotte. “Including you. I think that’s implied consent.”

“I’m not saying it wasn’t kind of exciting to be here. I’m saying the traffic flow was an issue when your neighbors needed to get out.”

“What neighbor needed to get out?”

“My daughter, for one. She had to get to the gym for a session with her personal trainer. In the end, I let her walk over to a friend’s house where she could catch a ride. Sara has to get ready for SpeedFest, you know.”

This was news to Francine. Sara Baggesen was sixteen and a handful. Though Francine knew Sara raced midget cars, she also knew that Sara’s father, Darla’s ex-husband Vince, didn’t allow her to her to race in nationally televised events. Francine wondered if he was still Sara’s mechanic. She was fairly sure the SpeedFest race would be on TV.

Alice waved her hands dismissively. “I’m sorry, but it’s really not my fault. I didn’t invite all those people to come.”

“You let them in. I don’t see a difference. I came over to talk to you when Sara tried to drive out, but you weren’t here. Charlotte said you were with the police at Friederich’s garage. What were you doing there?”

“My lawyer advises that I not talk about it.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“It’s not what you might think. But I’m not going to talk about it.”

Darla sat there for a moment deciding how to proceed. “The important thing is—and I always say this to first-time offenders—warnings are just a way to make sure everyone knows what’s expected so it doesn’t happen again.”

“I was one of the first people to move into this subdivision thirty years ago. We’ve been neighbors for what, fifteen years, Darla? I’ve seen Sara grow up, for heaven’s sake. This is the first murder in the subdivision. I think it’s safe to say the likelihood is small that there will be another one in the next thirty years.”

“I certainly hope so. You don’t seem like the type who would attract dead bodies on a regular basis. And that’s what I told the neighbors who called.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You’re welcome.” Darla removed a sheaf of papers from her clipboard and handed them to Alice. “I’ll just leave these with you then. You can fill them out anytime, but I’ll need your action plan before the next homeowners’ association meeting.”

While Alice was still sputtering, Darla let herself out.

“Action plan?” Alice’s face turned a purplish-red.

“Next time she’s not getting the tour for free,” Charlotte said, straining to see the papers Darla had handed her.

Alice threw the papers on the floor and burst into tears.

“Don’t you mind her,” Francine said, rushing to provide comfort. “Darla’s just a first-class busybody.”

“Is everything okay down here?” Jonathan descended the stairs carrying an inch-thick folder of what looked to be memos and ledger paper. He stepped into the front room.

The women looked up, startled, having forgotten he was in the house.

Francine was first to recover. “I’ll tell you about it on the way home.”

“Do you have what you need?” Alice asked.

He held up the folder. “It’s all here.”

Charlotte stared at it for a moment, then maneuvered to her feet. She started across the room. “What is it you have in there?”

Francine intercepted her on the way. “Let me walk you to your car.”

“It’s okay. I can manage it.”

“No, I insist. Jonathan and I are headed out anyway.” She took Charlotte by the arm, knowing it was best to leave her no alternative.

The three of them said good-bye and made their way outside. Charlotte’s eyes never left Jonathan’s folder. “Now don’t forget, if you need my help, you just call.”

“I won’t. Forget, that is,” he added dryly.

They reached Charlotte’s car, a big black Buick she’d had for nearly fifteen years. She gripped the car door for balance and lowered herself into the driver’s seat. “Let’s talk later,” she said. “I’ll have lots of questions.” She closed the door and started the car.

I bet you will, thought Francine. She and Jonathan walked hand in hand back home. Charlotte’s car passed them and Francine waved, but the wave was not returned.

So Charlotte is ticked. She’ll get over it.

“Do you need to go to the office this afternoon?” she asked Jonathan.

He squeezed her hand. “No, I think I’ll use the time to review these records. And to watch Larry’s video.”

“What video?”

“Larry keeps his surveillance video archives in his home office. I didn’t tell Jud. I copied a week’s worth of data off the hard drive to a blank DVD.”

“You didn’t!”

“I did.”

“What will Larry say if he finds out you did that?”

“He texted me privately and asked me to do it. He wants to know as much as anyone what’s on there.”