Dooley must have misinterpreted my silence, for he said,“You think it’s a lousy idea, don’t you? I should have known. I’m not an ideas cat, Max. I may be a loyal sidekick, but the bright ideas are always you. Just like Dr. Watson never had all that much to contribute, or that goofy Captain Hastings. I’m sorry for even mentioning it, but I justthought—”
“It’s brilliant, Dooley,” I finally managed in a husky voice. “Absolutely brilliant.”
His face lit up like a Christmas tree.“You think so?”
“Of course!” Then I sagged a little. “Though I’m not sure if it will make any difference. You seem to overestimate my role in this household, buddy. I may have a great idea from time to time, but at the end of the day it’s Odelia and Chase who carry out the investigation. And it’s they who set the trap and make the arrest. Not me.”
“And I think you underestimate the important part you play, Max,” he said warmly.
I smiled at my friend.“At least you’ve managed to lift my mood—even if only for the briefest of moments.”
Besides, who was to say that Windex wouldn’t prove ten times the sleuth I was? In which case she’d be the one riding with Odelia and Chase from now on. She’d be the one pouncing on clues and sorting the red herrings from the true gems.
Then again, as things stood, it was still us in the car, and not that tiny batlike dog, and so for what no doubt would be our last hurrah, I decided to pay attention once more to the investigation, discover who the killer was, and then tell Odelia that she was only getting a name from me if she promised—preferably in writing and with her signature confirmed by two reliable witnesses in front of a notary—never to take us to the shelter.
It might work, or it might not, but it was the only shot we got, as Bruce would say.
Chapter 20
We were back at the Toneu car dealership, where Dewey Toneu seemed very unhappy to see us again. When Chase steered his car into a parking space in front of the shop, I could read Dewey’s lips as he turned to his colleague and cried, “Not them again!”
And as we waltzed into the showroom, Dewey had that set look on his face that told me he was gearing up for a fight. He came walking up to us with an energetic gait, ready to rumble, but Chase stopped him dead in his tracks when he waved a document in the man’s face. “Your financial records, Toneu. Why didn’t you tell us you’re virtually broke?”
The man immediately turned back to this same employee, who stood standby in case things got ugly and his boss gave the sign to muscle these annoying cops out of the showroom, and said,“It’s all right, Pedro. Go and see if Suzy needs help at reception.”
Pedro gave Chase the dark look of a loyal servitor, nodded once, and stalked off.
“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” asked Odelia, though she probably should be used to it by now that people very rarely told the police the truth. It seemed a tough habit to break.
“Look, it’s not what you think,” said Dewey.
“Your fianc?e invested a hundred thousand dollars in your company, Mr. Toneu,” said Chase, relentlessly pursuing his line of inquiry. “So if she discovered that you were seeing Dotty, I think it’s safe to say she would have canceled the wedding, and demanded that money back.”
“Which gives you one heck of a motive for murder,” Odelia concluded.
“Yes, I know how it looks, but I didn’t kill Dotty, all right!”
“You’re not denying that Toneu Motors is in serious financial trouble?” asked Chase.
“No, I’m not denying that. But you have to understand that circumstances haven’t exactly been ideal. We were doing fine until Peter left.”
Chase arched a quizzical eyebrow, the way he did so well.
“Peter Izban,” said Dewey. “He used to work here as one of my salespeople. Top salesman of the year three years in a row, in fact. Until he decided to go into business for himself and set up shop across the street and take half of my customers along with him.” He gestured through the floor-to-ceiling glass that constituted the front of his showroom at another car dealership, inconveniently located right in front of us. The sign said ‘Izban Motors’ and the kind of cars that littered the lot appeared to be much the same ones that Dewey sold. “He nearly ruined me when he left. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s been bad-mouthing me with the customers that chose to stay. Telling them I overcharge, that I deliver shoddy work etcetera etcetera. That bastard is costing me some serious money.”
“Can’t you sue him for stealing your customers?” asked Odelia.
Dewey grimaced.“They left here of their own free will, didn’t they? Nothing I can do about that.”
“Defamation of character? Slander?”
“Oh, he’s very clever, Peter is. He’ll never come right out and tell people I’m a crook, but the way he says it sure sounds like I am one.” He rubbed his hands. “And yes, Marsella has been so kind to invest money in my business, and yes, if she were to decide that the wedding is off I’d probably be ruined. But I’m telling you, I hadn’t seen Dotty in months. I truly love Marsella, and the last thing I want is to screw up my one shot at happiness.”
“Marsella has been receiving messages from your old girlfriends,” said Chase. “Telling her to watch out and explaining to her what kind of man she’s getting involved with.”
He ground his teeth as a dark look came into his eyes.“I know. She told me.”
“Tell us again where you were the night Dotty and Calista were killed?”
“How many times!” the man said, his anger flaring. But looking into Chase’s cool blue eyes he quickly simmered down. “Like I told you before, I was at home. Alone.”
“You didn’t take your car for a spin? Have a little drive?”
“No, I arrived home around eight, prepared dinner and ate it in front of the television.”
“What did you watch?”
“A game. Cowboys against the Giants.”
“Pretty dumb move from Hernandez in the first quarter, huh?” said Chase, studying the man intently.
“It’s not the first time he fumbled a pass,” said Dewey, relaxing a little and puffing out his chest. “I mean, Jackson was wide open, for crying out loud!”
“Yes, he was,” said Chase, and darted a glance over to that same loyal retainer, presumably one of Dewey’s salesmen, who stood eyeing us from a distance, no doubt wondering why the police had dropped by again and if he should tackle Chase in case he decided to make an arrest. “All right, Mr. Toneu,” he said, pressing the other man’s hand. “Please don’t leave town.”
“But I have a convention I need to be at in two days,” said Dewey, his face sagging.
“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to send someone else.”
“But—”
“Two women were murdered, Mr. Toneu,” said Chase, towering over the man. “You were involved with one or both of them. You don’t have an alibi. And you had good reason to get rid of them. So I’d say that makes you the perfect suspect in my book.”
“Okay, all right,” said Dewey, holding up his hands in a gesture of defense. And as we walked out, he called out after us, “Any time you want to take her for a spin, just let me know, Mr. Kingsley—Mrs. Kingsley!” And gave us an exaggerated smile and wave.
“So what do you think, Max?” said Odelia, once we were outside and Chase was checking out a nice secondhand Alfa Romeo.
“I have no idea,” I told her—and I wasn’t lying.
She frowned at me.“You must have some idea.”
“Max isn’t going to help you anymore, Odelia,” said Dooley.
“What are you talking about?” she said, not all that friendly.
“Unless you put it in writing that you won’t dump us at the shelter.”
“God, I really don’t have the time or the energy for this nonsense,” she muttered, and joined Chase, who was letting his hand glide across the car’s upholstery for some reason.