I was in full PI mode as I watched Deputy Almond work the residents. Every fidget, I caught and registered. Every careful mutter, I witnessed.
Most of them knew nothing or little, which was easy to tell by their reactions. But this was told in different ways: some people were overly animated in their defense, some were under animated. Most maintained eye contact, while a few looked away nervously, but not with the guilty type of nervousness. Of course, my intuition was on full alert as I waited for the feeling to crawl up my spine as the right Wildoh resident went in for the interview.
Didn’t happen.
Every time Big Eddie called someone else forward, I’d get a little niggle of anticipation and I’d think, this is it. This is the one. But as soon as the interviewee sat down and started talking … nothing. The feeling went away.
“I’ll go next,” Mrs. Presley said, impatiently after the first half dozen people filed in and then out of the little interview room. “I’m here on vacation. And besides, this shouldn’t take long.” She was right of course. Short and sweet it was. I watched, amused, really. It was obvious right from the get-go that Mrs. P (who has lots of police-interviews under her belt being the proprietor of the Underhill Motel) wasn’t a bit scared of Deputy Almond. If anything, she was enjoying the interview. Hell, she seemed to be conducting the interview. When she finally rose to leave, about five minutes after Almond had prompted her with a polite right hand on the door and his left hand adjusted in a right-this-way directive, Mrs. P was well in command of the conversation.
The door opened.
“So, it’s five letters, and starts with a ‘w.’ Any idea, Deputy?”
Oh, no. She wouldn’t.
Almond’s eyebrows knit in a pensive expression. “I’m thinking, Jane.”
“I don’t know why I can’t get it.” Mrs. Presley shook her head. “Five letters, starts with W…. Dammit, what was that clue? Oh, now I remember!”
Oh, she couldn’t!
“It was … a laughing cartoon bird.”
“Woody!” Deputy Almond shouted.
Mrs. P (who by the way had excellent hearing) turned and cocked her ear toward him, “What did you say?”
“A happy cartoon bird … it’s gotta be Woody.”
“Gotta be what?” She cupped her hand around her ear.
“Woody!” he shouted. “You’re looking for Woody!”
“Yes, of course!” She snapped her fingers. “Woody! That’s it!” She paused, looked thoughtful then nodded her head. “Those dang crosswords. Thanks for helping a little old lady out, Deputy.” She winked at me on the way out.
One by one, the crowd dwindled down.
Roger, having lost himself six dollars to Mona, didn’t seem too displeased when Big Eddie called him to go talk to the Deputy. He did the nod-bow thing again and pushed his chair all the way in to the table before going to join Almond.
I didn’t watch that interview very closely. If Roger had something to hide, I would have sensed it at the table.
I was watching Mom by this time. Now, Mom is a pretty amazing card player. She used to kick my ass at crazy eights when I was a kid, not to mention the days of go-fish card parties we used to have. But her mind hadn’t been on the game today. She’d miscounted her hand more than a few times. Whenever Mona pointed out the missed points, Katt just shrugged and insisted Mona mug the points. “That’s the rule. I missed it. You take it.” Obviously, she was nervous about the impending interview with the Deputy.
When Mother’s turn finally came, I watched her approach the small glassed-in interview room. I watched Big Eddie take her elbow to shepherd her inside. And that’s when it hit me. That feeling I’d been waiting for, that tingle….
No. No way. Jesus H. Chris, she was my mother! She could not be guilty.
But what would I be thinking if she were someone else? Someone unrelated?
I’d damn well think she was guilty, that’s what….
Almond straightened when Mom walked into the room. Any trace of friendliness left his face. He assumed a profile of complete authority. No good cop here — just the bad. It was clear he suspected Mom of something, too. He was, after all, still investigating the disappearance of Frankie Morell, and she was still a person of interest in that investigation. How long would his patience last with the crazy lady who turned her boyfriend into a frog?
Frankie Morell. Frankie Morell who was conveniently missing now.
What if he wasn’t missing? What if he was hiding out somewhere nearby? Maybe still on the premises? Still stealing jewels. What if he hadn’t just hopped on a bus out of town? What if he was still around somewhere, framing my mother?
Grrrrrrrrr.
“Was that your stomach growling, Dix?” Mona asked.
“No.” I smiled at her through gritted teeth. “Just me.”
Deputy Almond didn’t look at my Mother much. I quickly decided that was a deliberate tactic on his part, depriving her of eye contact. He spoke, wrote, spoke, wrote. Mother sat there, growing more nervous by the moment. Which was weird for my mother. Katt Dodd didn’t do nervous. But to my discerning eye, and possibly to Mona’s, she was clearly restless as she sat with Almond. She touched her hand to her cheek a few times. She crossed her legs then uncrossed them twice. And she kept pulling at her left shirt sleeves, pulling them down over her wrists.
And despite keeping his gaze down, I have no doubt Almond noticed.
The interview was long. As was Mona Robert’s interview. Both women headed out of the room quickly when Almond dismissed them. That left just me in the room when Big Eddie came out to give the nod and the thumb jerk.
“That’s all right, Eddie,” Deputy Almond said, coming out of the interview room. “Everyone else is gone, I’ll interview Ms. Dodd out here.”
Big Eddie straddled the chair. Jesus, that was one more thing a man in polyester pants shouldn’t do. He sat in the chair Roger the crib player had vacated not too long before. Almond sat where Mona had been — to my left.
His knee touched mine as he pulled his chair in. Yes, I felt the jolt — and not in my knee. Which annoyed me. This man had just made my mother very uncomfortable. I was going to have to have a talk with those hormones of mine about loyalty.
Oh well. Knee should move any second now. Contact happens. No big deal. Tall man/small table accidents occur all the time — probably account for at least five percent of all hospital visits. Amazing more people didn’t do the knee bump thing. These damn tables should come with a warning sign. Yep. Waiting for knee to move back. Any second now.
It didn’t.
Oh.
Okay.
“Eddie, I think I can take it from here.”
Big Eddie looked like a broken-hearted puppy. “You sure, Deputy?”
“I’m sure, Eddie. I can handle Ms. Dodd.”
Oh, man! What had happened to the air-conditioning?
Big Eddie Baskin glanced at his watch. “Well, I’d better get going anyway. You call me if you find anything out, okay?”
Almond gave him a firm nod. “Will do.”
Big Eddie smoothed a hand over the back of his neck as if he’d just worked a double shift at the factory and his muscles were sore. His necklace — chains and charms and all — jingled against his skin.