5

 

A numb sensation engulfed Cora. This Reed fellow was tall and good-looking, still his smirk gave her the willies. She straightened her shoulders. If Officer Stud Muffin thought his attitude gave him power and dominance, he had another think coming. She looked up as he fixed his steely gaze on her. Cora swallowed. Well, maybe it did give him an edge.

Officer Reed’s expression grew dark as Lupe entered the living room. The poor woman took one glance at him and set the serving tray on the nearby table. She handed a cup of coffee to Cora and quickly turned to leave.

Ed placed his hand on Lupe’s shoulder. “Wait a minute, Lupe.”

The woman stiffened, and her eyes widened.

“This is our housekeeper. Lupe and her husband, Mateo Santalis, are under contract for the Saguaro Valley complex. They go out of their way to make sure things are spic-and-span around here.”

A double chin formed as Lupe bowed her head and mumbled, “¡Hola!” She excused herself and retreated to the adjacent kitchen.

Cora watched the housekeeper leave. “You’ll have to excuse our Lupe. She’s timid around strangers, especially when she doesn’t understand what’s going on.”

With a slight nod of acknowledgment, Reed wrote in his notebook.

Davis, the older of the two policemen, appeared to be close to retirement age. His goatee, and what was left of his dark hair, were heavily streaked with gray. He adjusted his reading glasses and nodded to his partner. “Officer Reed is going to scout around outside while I ask you a few questions, Mrs. Timms.” He paused and clicked his ballpoint in anticipation of her answers. “Your husband tells us you saw a prowler and a possible homicide last night.”

“That’s right.” She sighed and clutched her coffee cup tighter as the snotty-hottie cop cocked his hat and went out the front door.

Officer Davis’s voice was calm. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what happened from the beginning, ma’am?”

The strain of a sleepless night left Cora an emotional blob. She dabbed her eyes and sniffed into her napkin. “There’s so much on my mind, it’s hard to know where to start.”

“Have a seat, Officer Davis.” Ed cleared his throat. “This could take a while.”

“Thank you. I think I will.” The older cop pulled out a straight-backed chair, and bumped the puzzle table.

Cora grimaced as a rainfall of pictured fragments fell to the floor. The badged old billy goat didn’t even notice. Humph, some detective. And this klutz was going to solve the murder? She hid her face behind the cup and tensed as the cop cleared his throat and looked in her direction.

“Mrs. Timms?”

Cora peeked over the rim of her security cup. She might as well get this over with so he’d leave. She lowered her coffee. “It all started with the harassing phone calls.”

“Wait, ma’am. I thought we were called here for a prowler and a possible murder.”

“That’s half right.” Ed spoke on her behalf. “She saw two people on our patio last night.”

She glared at Ed. “And, the other half is, I think one of them was killed. It all started with those crazy phone calls.”

“Did anyone else witness these phone calls?”

“No.” Her face warmed. “They only come when I’m alone.”

The corner of Davis’s mouth twisted slightly. “Hmm. Let me see if I have this right. What you’re saying, Mrs. Timms, is you think the caller and the prowler are connected in some way?”

“Yes, of course. He said he was watching me.”

“Um, he was watching you over the phone?”

Cora arched her brow. Where’d he go to school? Keystone Kop Kollege? “More than likely he looked in the window. Doesn’t that make sense?” She shifted in her seat and shrugged. “It makes perfect sense to me. Our neighbor, Patrick Hyde, saw a prowler, too. It was during the storm, and he called to warn me.”

“What about this Patrick Hyde? Will he confirm your story?”

“I’ve been trying to call him, officer,” Ed commented. “He doesn’t answer. Pat often takes little road trips at the drop of a hat.”

“Do you have any idea who this window peeper might be?”

Cora frowned. “Do I have any idea who…uh, no. Well, he says I know him, but I don’t recognize his voice.” Suddenly, incoherent phrases erupted with pent-up frustration. “Look, he tracked me down, because I did something to him. I can’t remember him, or what I could’ve done. He saw my white slacks and purple blouse. Oh, and there was a wicked slice involved.”

“Just a minute, Mrs. Timms. Let me catch up.” Davis’s pen scrawled across the notebook as he made a feeble attempt to record her statements. “Purple blouse, wick-ed sli-i-ice.”

Cora ignored him and reached for her coffee. The floodgates were open, and there was no stopping it. “Sometimes it’s a woman. I’m sure I don’t know him. Oh, and the envelope has a red seal. I saw something in his hand.” Her voice strained. “He even knows about my…” Shut up, Cora! Fortunately, her verbal diarrhea stopped before she revealed too much. Yipes. Did she mention the envelope? The coffee cup wobbled as she returned it to the table. “This is all so confusing.”

The questioning wasn’t going well. It wasn’t going well, at all. There was a train on the horizon, and she was tied to the rails. She just had to be more discreet. Focus, Cora, focus. It wasn’t time for Ed to know about her secret, and timing was everything. For now, it was nobody’s business but hers. She twisted her wedding band and licked her dry lips. Taking a cleansing breath, she willed herself to get a grip on her runaway emotions.

The police officer stopped writing when Cora’s words became disconnected. He scratched his chin and looked at Ed with an odd grin. “Can you shed any light on this?”

“Cora says the calls come when nobody else is here. She said they turned threatening last night. Then, she saw shadows outside the kitchen window after the neighbor called. I thought maybe it might be her reflection, or the neighbor’s cat.”

“I see.”

Cora gritted her teeth. Would he ever stop with his stupid cat theory? She reached for her coffee, again. “It was more than shadows, Edward. I saw real, live people. Not my reflection, and certainly not Smudge.” She lowered the cup to the table.

Ed patted her knee. “Yes, Toots.”

This man was really pushing her buttons. She tried to regain a smidgen of dignity, and pushed his hand away with a disgruntled sniff. If she didn’t know him better, she’d think he was involved in this whole mix-up.

He turned to the officer and continued. “Where was I? Oh yes, when I came home, Cora was out cold on the kitchen floor.”

The officer flipped to a fresh page in his notebook. “Mr. Timms, why didn’t you call us right away?”

Ed put a supportive hand on Cora’s shoulder. “Like I said, she was in a state of shock when she came to. The constant storms we’ve had lately added to her stress, so the doctor said to keep her calm.”

“Now, wait a minute,” said the officer. “Where’d the doctor come from?”

“Next door.”

“And, why didn’t you call us?”

“Cora needed a doctor. She was weak and upset. All things considered, I thought it would be better to let her rest and talk to you this morning.”

“I understand, but next time, don’t put it off. Even if your wife is upset, you should call us, so we can check the area,” he admonished. “Of course, the storm would have hampered our efforts, however, it’s very important that we get every trace of evidence as soon as possible.” The officer took a deep breath. “Could the calls just be a childish prank?”

Cora came up for air. “Look, I’m getting calls and it’s not a child’s voice. They’re scaring me to death. I’m living this nightmare every minute of every day.”

The officer’s reply was monotone. “Yes, ma’am.” He straightened his back. “Now these phone calls, can you tell me if you heard any background noise that might help pinpoint his location?”

“Uh, I wasn’t listening for background noises. Besides, last night the phone line crackled with all the lightning and thunder.” She shifted in her seat as Lupe milled around in the kitchen, and listened to every word. “I-I had my mind on what they were saying.”

“Right. During any of these phone calls, did you happen to notice anything about the voice that sounded familiar? An accent, maybe?”

Cora searched the officer’s face. Was that another hint of skepticism in his tone? “I told you there are two callers. That should be in your notes, by the way. One man, one woman.”

“What do they sound like?”

“What do they sound like? Well, the man calls most of the time and his voice is gravely and raspy. It sounds a little forced. Do you think he’s trying to disguise it?”

The monotone voice returned. “That would be my guess, ma’am.”

“The woman sounded,” she leaned over to whisper, “Hispanic.” She cleared her throat. “But I didn’t recognize it.” She watched Lupe hurry from the kitchen.

“How old would you guess the man to be?”

“I don’t know. I told you he disguised his voice, but he’s not a kid.” Before Officer Davis could ask, she added, “The woman has a clear, younger-sounding voice.”

“Do you have caller ID?”

Ed muttered, “No, but it’s about time we got it.”

The officer made a few additional notes. “What about the threats the caller made?”

“He insisted I have something of his, and if I don’t give it to him, he’ll get Ed.”

“That’s where the envelope comes in.”

She gasped. Oh no, he did catch that. “Yes.” She bit her lower lip and looked at her hands. “I assure you, Officer Davis, I don’t have a clue as to what that man is talking about. He also said something curious. He said that Ed was working on his wicked slice. I’m not sure what golf has to do with anything.”

Davis turned to Ed. “What do you know about the wicked slice?”

He shrugged, unable to keep eye contact with Davis. “A slice is just a term golfers use. But I was at Sugar Dips getting ice cream, not giving lessons.”

She’d known Ed for nearly forty years, and he was holding something back. Cora’s eyes narrowed. What was it?

The cop rubbed the back of his neck. “Anything else either of you need to tell me?”

Cora piped up. “We had a flat tire—tell him about the flat tire, Ed.” Without a second breath, she added, “They were new tires. Don’t you think it’s strange, Officer? A brand new tire flat already?”

“For Pete’s sake,” Ed replied. “We can’t prove anything. It’s probably just a coincidence. I could’ve run over a nail.”

Davis sniffed. “Let’s go ahead and make arrangements to tap your phone lines.”

Her secret. “No.” Cora’s stomach churned. Her anxiety intensified. “I don’t want that.”Ed stared at his wife. “Why not? It’ll help catch these people. We all want them caught, don’t we?”

She paused. “Of course we do, but tapping is an invasion of privacy.” Oooh, that sounded so lame. “I don’t want someone listening in on my private conversations. Some things are personal.”

Ed threw his hands up in a gesture of frustration. “We can’t live like this. You’re not thinking it through. If all this is true, these people are dangerous.” He looked directly into her eyes. “You have me completely stumped. Where’s your logic, Cora?”

She looked away. There was nothing she could say. Maybe she’d just plead the fifth or claim insanity. Let them figure it out.

Davis scratched his head and leafed through his notes. “We’re not making any progress. Why don’t we go over this once more? Slowly.” He paused. “What about the prowler? Even though this will be difficult, we need to go to the kitchen. You can show me where you stood. Officer Reed will be outside the window, then you can tell me how far away the guy was.”

They followed Davis to the kitchen and Cora stood at the sink. “First, Patrick called to warn me. I was right here making coffee. That’s when I saw two men fighting on our patio, and I reached up to put the window down.”

The officer asked, “Exactly where were they standing?” He called through the open window for his partner to move accordingly. “Is this right, Mrs. Timms?”

“Maybe back a few steps.” She watched as snotty-hottie Reed followed directions.

“Stop. Right there.”

“Great. Now close your eyes and think about the scene for a moment. I know it was dark and rainy, but did you see what they were wearing?”

Cora shut her eyes to recall the incident. “I remember they wore dark hoods, and there was something else.” She snapped her fingers. “I know what it was. One wore glasses.”

“OK, hoods and glasses.” He jotted it down. “Now we’re cookin’. What else? Did he have anything in his hand like maybe an umbrel—”

“Wait!” She blurted. “That’s it.”

“Breakthrough,” Ed shouted. “He had an umbrella.”

Cora stomped her foot. “No, no, no. Not an umbrella. It was a knife. I remember, now. He had a knife in his hand.”

“A knife?” Davis questioned. “Are you sure that’s what it was? Remember it was dark and stormy. An umbrella would make more sense.”

“Would you forget the umbrella? I’m very sure. After the man with the glasses fell down, the knife reflected in the lightning.” She lifted her hand to mimic the figure’s pose. “He held it like this.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered. “He did kill him.”

As Davis recorded her statement, Ed spoke up. “Why didn’t you say anything about the knife last night?”

“I didn’t remember it until just now.” She felt her face warm. “In my defense, I did tell you I thought the man was killed.”

“Wendell didn’t find a body out there, Toots. Dead bodies don’t have a habit of walking away from the scene.”

The officer stepped closer. “You didn’t recall seeing a knife right after it happened?”

She fidgeted and rubbed the back of her head. “I was out cold. That probably has something to do with my faulty memory. I knew he was holding an object, only I couldn’t picture it until now.”

Davis scratched his ear and sniffed. He returned Ed’s glance.

Cora caught their subtle reaction and grew frustrated. “You believe me, don’t you Ed?”

He offered a non-committal shrug. “I’m really trying, but a murder? Here? In our quiet community?”

A lump formed in her throat. Her own husband didn’t believe her.

“Ma’am?” The policeman lightly touched her shoulder. “I’m sorry to push you so hard, however, knowing exact details can make all the difference in a case. Is there anything else?” He looked at her. “Anything at all?”

Cora lowered her eyes and gave an anxious little cough. A tense silence filled the room. Her nervous hesitation was only for a moment. Did Davis notice?

“What more could you possibly need?” Cora carefully ticked the facts off on her fingers. “A man watches me, knows when I’m alone, and even what I wear. He threatened Ed. Patrick warned me about a prowler. Two men were outside my window. One had a knife. The other fell.” She drew a deep breath. “Isn’t that enough?” A rush of unexpected tears surfaced. She took Ed’s handkerchief and wiped her eyes.

The officer thanked Cora for her time. “If you think of anything else, be sure to call right away.” He motioned for Ed to follow him outdoors. “Let’s check on Reed’s investigation.”

Coffee sloshed onto the counter as Cora nervously poured another cup. She stood at the sink and wondered where Lupe went.

The three men’s voices reached Cora through the open kitchen window. She leaned closer.

Davis spoke. “I’m not surprised Reed didn’t find evidence. If there had been tracks, they would’ve been destroyed, thanks to last night’s rain. So that’s about it, unless you have something else to tell us, Mr. Timms.”

Ed cleared his throat. “About that flat tire I had.”

Aha! She knew he was hiding something. By now, Cora’s nose was all but pressed to the screen.

“What’s so unusual about that?” Reed asked.

Davis replied, “You gave me the impression you thought it was a nail.”

“Actually, the tire was slashed.”

“Any reason you didn’t mention this earlier?” the older officer asked.

“Wasn’t trying to hide it. I wanted to wait until we were alone to fill you in, so it wouldn’t worry my wife any more than necessary,” Ed commented. “It’s a good thing, too, since she’s sure a man with a knife was out here. Then, with that wicked slice comment he made.”

“Let’s go check it out,” Reed suggested. The men followed Ed into the garage.

Cora nearly choked on her coffee when she heard Ed’s account. “The tire was slashed?” she whispered. Her hands went to her mouth as she recalled the hooded figure holding the knife. What else had Ed kept from her? Was it really to spare her needless worry? She left her cup on the counter, and hurried to the side door so she wouldn’t miss a word.

She eased the door open just wide enough to get the lowdown, and watched as the three men studied the tire in Ed’s trunk.

“It’s been cut all right,” Officer Reed said. “You say this happened at Sugar Dips?”

Ed nodded. “George Shipley and Roger Clark were talking. I was curious since I fired George a few weeks ago and Roger took his place. George rushed out when I went to their table. I hate to think that my damaged relationship with him was the catalyst for this vandalism.”

Davis looked up from the ruined tire. “We’ll check Shipley out. There’s not a whole lot we can do, except maybe add another patrol car in the neighborhood. Since this is a gated community with a security guard, that hardly seems necessary.”

“Wendell McGibbons for protection?” Ed rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s it?”

“Is there a problem, sir?”

Cora didn’t want to miss anything, so she opened the door a hair wider.

“Not really.” Ed replied. “Wendell’s a nice person and all, but considering his age, I think he was hired mostly for window dressing and not so much for security. Aren’t you going to talk to the neighbors?”

Officer Reed answered. “I’ve already done that. Nobody noticed anything unusual happening last night. Probably because of the storm.”

“What about Patrick Hyde, across the street? He saw something.”

“I tried his house, but no one came to the door.”

“Come to think of it, Wendell told me Pat was going to visit his lady friend sometime this week. He sure picked a great time to up and leave.”

“Truth is,” Davis said, “our hands are tied until the perpetrator gives us more to go on. We need substantial evidence.” He pushed the front of his hat up with the end of his pen. “We have no actual suspects, no body, no knife, no blood. Sorry.”

“Me, too.” Ed’s brow furrowed. “In the meantime, if my wife is right, we could be in danger, couldn’t we?”

Reed piped up. “That’s possible, sir. In all likelihood it’s fear run amuck.”

“I’ve tried not to dwell on my own nagging suspicions, and you’ve just filled me with more doubt.” Ed slammed the trunk lid.

“Give us time to check it out from all angles.” Davis closed his notebook. “We’ll get back with you, later.”

Ed frowned and rubbed his chin. “Let me give you a little background information. Cora’s been withdrawn since our daughter died. She resigned as county treasurer. Then our former son-in-law quickly remarried and moved our grandkids to Vegas. She never complained about being alone, until the phone calls began. Now, she’s downright paranoid.”

Davis pulled his notebook out again and licked his forefinger. He flipped a few pages to read a previous entry and then looked up. “You know, Mr. Timms, your wife was so fearful of a prowler, her paranoia gave way to hysteria.”

Ed released a deep sigh. “I’m worried about her, Officer Davis.” He shook his head. “She’s never behaved or talked so erratically.”

This was ridiculous. It was all she could do to stay quiet behind the door. Why didn’t Ed defend her?

Reed spoke up. “Is she in danger of hurting herself?”

“What? We’re not on a suicide watch, if that’s what you mean.”

A surge of exasperation filled Cora. She clenched her fist. The once solid ground of her life was now quicksand, and she felt herself sink deeper into despair. Did Ed know what she’d been hiding from him? Was he trying to get rid of her, or drive her to the loony bin? The cops weren’t any help, either. She was the victim. They made it sound like she was a raving lunatic who needed to have her belts and shoelaces taken away.

Davis nodded to his partner. “I think we’ll have another look on the patio before we leave.” He shook Ed’s hand. “Thanks for your time, sir.”

Cora closed the door quietly and scurried back to the kitchen. She grabbed a dishtowel and innocently turned when Ed called her name.

“Hey, Toots. The officers are done with the questioning. That wasn’t so bad, was it? They’re going to check the patio for a few minutes, so don’t let them spook you.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be at Wheels and Deals to get a new tire. Look for me in a couple hours.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. See ya later.” Cora waited until Ed left and then rushed to the kitchen window. No way would she miss what the cops had to say.

She heard Officer Reed complain to his partner. “If she didn’t want us to help, then why did they bother to call us in the first place?”

“To be completely honest,” Davis added, “I have a gut feeling she’s hiding something. She had all the classic signs, like hedging questions, little eye contact, and repeating things.”

Cora leaned in closer to hear Reed’s reply.

“I noticed that, too. She kept clenching her teeth and fidgeting.”

“She got really upset about putting a tracer on the phone. Talk about melodramatic.”

“And what about this Hyde character? Why would he suddenly decide to go on a trip in the middle of a monsoon with a prowler on the premises? Doesn’t add up, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t. Hey, Reed, I just had a thought. What if Hyde didn’t call? After all, we only have her word for that. He could’ve been out of town the whole time. Suppose she did all this for attention?”

The smug young Reed laughed. “Oh yeah, the ol’ phantom stalker ploy. Come on, let’s get back to work.”

Phantom stalker? Cora fumed at their condescending remarks, and watched the officers leave. The phone rang. She gritted her teeth and turned to answered it. “Hello?”

It was a moment before the thick accent was heard. “You make big mistake, Señora! You had warning. You talk to policía and now you will wish you were not born.”

Cora heard a click. Then silence.