Tom didn't want to upset her, so he decided not to say any more. He'd find the answers he needed from another source. "Promise you'll give me until tomorrow before hiring a P.I."
She squeezed his hand, her chin quivering. "Only if you promise to call me the minute you find out anything. I don't care what time it is."
"Done. Scout's honor." He put his fingers to his forehead and smiled. "Now try to get a good night's rest. I know this is a very trying ordeal."
"Ken and Sandy will be over tonight. I'll talk to him about what Bud said. Maybe he'll be able to enlighten me on what the problem might be."
"I'll call you tomorrow." He gave her a hug and left.
*****
Angie watched Tom's car disappear over the crest. She'd decided not to tell him about Melinda just yet. First, she wanted to see if Ken knew anything about her or had any idea of what she wanted of Bud. She felt that woman might have had something to do with his disappearance.
Marty scowled at Angie when she came into the kitchen. "Mrs. Nevers, you have no business having company for dinner tonight. You know you're not up to it."
Angie sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and dropped her head into her hands. "Don't scold me, Marty. It's only Ken and Sally. I need my friends right now."
Marty stepped over and put a hand on Angie's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scold. I'm just worried about you."
Angie patted her hand. "I know. I'll be all right." She glanced up at the clock. "It's almost five. They'll be here at six-thirty. I think I'll go upstairs and take a nice long bath before getting dressed."
"That's a good idea. Now get on with you so I can finish getting dinner ready."
Ken and Sandy arrived on time and Angie directed them into the study to have a cocktail before dinner. She saw the concern in her friends' faces and tried to put them at ease. "I'm doing fine and am so glad you're here with me right now."
Tears welled in Sandy's eyes "I can't believe what's happened."
Angie fiddled with the stack of napkins on the bar. "I'm hoping the body in the car proves not to be Bud's."
Ken shot a look at her as he stood behind the bar mixing the drinks. "What do you mean by that? Have the tests come back?"
She shook her head. "No. I just feel it."
"Who else could it be?"
"I don't know. It's just this crazy feeling I have."
Ken remained silent.
Angie sat down in the big leather chair. "Ken, did you know the strange woman who came to the party?"
Sandy looked puzzled and glanced from one to the other. "What woman?"
"She said her name was Melinda."
At that moment, a crash sounded in the kitchen. Angie jumped up and stuck her head out the open door of the study. "Marty. You okay?"
"Uh, sorry, Mrs. Nevers. I just dropped an empty pan. "Everything's fine."
She went back to her chair.
Sandy cocked her head. "Melinda who? I don't remember seeing any strange woman at the party."
"She didn't actually get more than inside the door before Bud took her back out on the porch. I never learned her last name. In fact, I never got to talk to Bud about her at all because the bus accident happened the next day and™" Her gaze dropped to her clenched hands and she let out a soft sigh. "That's why I wondered if you knew her."
Ken quickly responded. "No. I didn't see her and I don't recall anyone by... what was her name?"
Angie fought back the tears. "Melinda. I did so hope you knew her. Bud seemed so upset afterwards and didn't act himself all week."
Ken put his glass on the bar. "I don't mean to be rude and change the subject. But do you think dinner might be ready? I have an early appointment in the morning and can't be out too late."
*****
That night, as Ken and Sandy lay in bed, Sandy put her arm across her husband's chest. "Why do I have this feeling you know Melinda?"
Ken turned over, his back toward his wife. "Because, I do know who she is."
Sandy raised up on her elbow. "Then why did you lie to Angie?"
"Do you think it would have been a good time to tell her that Melinda is Bud's illegitimate child?"
Sandy's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God!"
Ken rolled to his back. "Keep your mouth shut for now and let's hope she keeps away from Angie."
Chapter Six
After testifying in a drug-related trial, Tom walked out of the courthouse with the district attorney. "If that son-of-a-bitch gets off again with no more than a slap on the wrist, it's going to make me wonder about our court system."
The district attorney nodded and waved a hand in the air. "We've done all we can. Let's hope the jury has the balls to nail him."
The two men parted ways in the parking lot and Tom drove back to the station. A report from the Coroner's Office lay on his desk. He loosened his tie and sat down. A red stamp proclaiming, "Incomplete Report" sullied the top of the page. He fingered the corner of the paper as his eyes scanned past the technical information and settled on the neatly typed lines.
With the use of dental and medical records, it has been determined that the burn victim in Case #40567 is Bud L. Nevers, the owner of said vehicle. Verification of the cause of death may take several days.
Tom tapped the paper with his finger. Many times, in his line of work he'd had to relay bad news. But this time his stomach tightened and his breathing came in ragged spurts. Several things nagged at his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on any one of them just yet. Something just smelled fishy. He'd wait for the full report on Bud's death before he really dug in.
He folded the report and slipped it into the inside breast pocket of his jacket, next to his cigar. His first mission would be to visit Angie. She had it in her head that Bud wasn't the victim. How would she take this news? He might as well find out now.
Angie managed to drag herself out of bed at ten o'clock. If it weren't for the tranquilizer, she wouldn't have slept at all. She hated taking pills with a passion, but knew she needed the rest. Even with a good night's sleep, she didn't want to wake up and face the day alone. She knew she couldn't allow herself to succumb to these feelings, so she showered and dressed.
She felt better after eating and hauled the stack of mail that had been neglected for several days into the breakfast nook. The window overlooked the Santa Clara Valley, where a beautiful autumn day met her gaze. Dragging a small wastebasket over to the table, she started sorting through the mail, tossing advertising fliers and junk into the trash. She finally got it weeded down to bills and personal mail. A small white envelope, hand-addressed to Bud, caught her attention. No return address appeared on the outside, but the postmark indicated it had come from San Francisco. By habit she started to set it aside, since she and Bud never opened each other's private mail. Then she stopped, took a deep breath and picked it up. That didn't apply anymore. Reluctantly, she slit the edge with the letter opener. But just as she started to pull out the sheet of paper, the phone rang and Marty brought the cordless to her.
"Detective Hoffman would like to speak to you."
She dropped the envelope onto the table and took the phone. When Marty didn't move away, Angie glanced up and noticed her staring at the table. "Is something wrong?"