“The guy is like a ghost,” she complained after she’d missed him a third time.
“You’ll catch him eventually,” said Chase, who had complete faith in her abilities as a pinner-downer of tough-to-pin-down doctors.
“Maybe you can give it a shot,” she said now. “You’re much better at catching people than I am.”
“When I see him I’ll collar him for you,” he promised. “The only question is: handcuffs or no handcuffs? What do you reckon?”
She slapped him lightly on the arm. “Wise guy. You know how important it is for me to talk to Jaqlyn.”
“Important for your newspaper, or for your dad?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Both,” she said. “I want him to tell me exactly why he’s been poaching my dad’s patients. Does he really intend to put him out of business, or have people suddenly and mysteriously gone off my dad for some reason?”
Uncle Alec had joined them, having snatched two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. “Great stuff,” he said as he took a sip. “Whatever his faults, Jaqlyn doesn’t skimp on the goodies.”
“If he took over half my dad’s patients he can afford it,” said Odelia, glancing around for a sign of the elusive doctor.
“I received another complaint about the guy,” said Uncle Alec. “Lately it seems to rain complaints.”
“Another neighbor whose tires he slashed?” asked Chase.
“No, this time it’s a patient’s dad. Claims Jaqlyn misdiagnosed his daughter and only through some miracle did she escape with her life.”
That got Odelia’s attention. “Are you serious?”
Uncle Alec nodded. “Apparently this young lady suffered from a severe headache, but when she told Jaqlyn he simply gave her paracetamol and said she’d be fine in a day or two. Only the headache got worse and so they finally took her to the IC. Turns out she had a brain tumor. They immediately operated on her and she’ll recover. It was touch and go, though. A couple more days and she wouldn’t have made it.”
“But that’s terrible!” said Odelia.
“Yeah, her dad wasn’t too happy about it. Said he’s considering a medical malpractice suit.”
Suddenly Francine Jones came walking out of the house, looking a little harried. “Has anyone seen my husband?” she yelled over the din. “Has anyone seen Jaqlyn?”
Conversations halted, and all eyes turned to her.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mayor Charlene Butterwick, who was closest to the woman.
“I can’t seem to find him anywhere,” said Francine, helplessly lifting her hands.
“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” said Mayor Butterwick, and raised her voice. “Has anyone seen our host?”
People were laughing, thinking it was some kind of joke, but judging from the expression on Francine’s face it clearly wasn’t.
“Looks like you’re not the only one who can’t pin the man down,” said Chase.
Odelia’s mom and dad, who’d been chatting with Ted and Marcie Trapper, their neighbors, came drifting over. “What’s going on?” asked Mom.
“Our hostess has lost our host,” Uncle Alec put the situation in a nutshell.
A statuesque beauty, dressed in a stunning red dress, came walking out of the house and Francine immediately accosted her. “You!” she said. “Where is my husband?”
“How should I know,” said the woman, visibly taken aback.
“I know all about you!” said Francine. “I’ve known for weeks! Is he upstairs? Did you just have sex with my husband in my own bedroom?”
“You’re crazy, lady,” said the woman.
“Who’s that?” asked Chase.
“Monica Chanting,” said Odelia. “Wife of Garvin Chanting, landscaper.”
“You did, didn’t you!” Francine screamed, and launched herself at Monica, nails out. Monica uttered a loud scream, and knocked Francine back, landing the latter on her tush. Like a coiled spring, Francine got up again, and went on the attack, eager to draw blood.
Uncle Alec quickly handed his champagne glasses to Odelia, and hurried forward, bodily inserting himself between the two women. Chase then took hold of Francine while Uncle Alec inspected Monica’s face, which was sporting a slash across the cheek.
“It’s just a scratch,” Monica said. “But the woman is crazy. She should be arrested.”
“Can you take a look at this, Tex?” asked Uncle Alec. “She’s bleeding something bad.”
“Can you get my medical bag from the car, honey?” asked Dad, and handed his car keys to Odelia.
Hurrying away, Odelia moved along the swath of lawn separating Jaqlyn’s house from his neighbor Barney Sowman’s, and out onto the street, where Dad’s car was parked right behind Odelia’s. She checked the backseat, but when she didn’t see the medical bag in question, decided to look in the trunk. The moment she opened it, she reeled back.
There, staring up at her with lifeless eyes, was Jaqlyn.
And he looked very dead indeed.
Her first reflex was to close the trunk again, but just then Officer Sarah Flunk and her boyfriend arrived, and when she saw the dead body, Sarah immediately said, “Better step away from the car, Odelia. Don’t touch anything. Where is your uncle?”
Mutedly, Odelia gestured to the party, where a DJ had just launched Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do.
“Go and get Chief Alec for me,” Sarah told her boyfriend, who hurried away. “Is this your car?” she asked Odelia, a distinct edge to her voice, her hand inadvertently moving to her belt, as if reaching for her gun.
“No, it’s… my dad’s,” she heard herself say, and Sarah drew in a gasp of shock.
Chapter 26
When people start screaming, you know that either their host has just told them he unexpectedly ran out of booze, or has managed to get himself killed. In this case the latter explanation, however unlikely, appeared to be the correct one.
Odelia, when she returned from her errand of mercy, looked pale as a sheet, and when she spoke the next words, they took us all by surprise.
“Jaqlyn… is dead,” she said, then cut a sad look to her father, who was still waiting for the necessary medical supplies to attend to the scratch on Monica Chanting’s face, and added, “I just found his body in the trunk of your car, Dad.”
Great was everyone’s consternation at these words, and a psychologist, had one been present, would have had a field day tabulating the different responses from those present.
Tex stared at his daughter stupidly, and asked, “Why the trunk of my car?” as if in his expert opinion this was the last place one should ever put a dead body.
Marge said, “Tex? Did you do this?”
To which Tex immediately responded with a pointed, “Do what?”
Uncle Alec, meanwhile, who’d been restraining Francine, found that his job description had changed from restrainer to nurse, as Francine promptly collapsed.
Chase, meanwhile, had the presence of mind to place a heavy hand on his future father-in-law’s shoulder and declare, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Tex, but I guess you’re under arrest.”
Nothing personal, his expression seemed to suggest. Just one of those things. And who could blame him? If dead bodies are found in trunks of cars, it’s usually those in ownership of those cars that have put them there.
“What’s going on, Max?” asked Dooley, who had a hard time following the quickly evolving events.
“Jaqlyn Jones is dead and his body was just found in Tex’s car,” I said, bringing him up to speed on the latest. “And Chase is now in the process of arresting Tex for murder.”
“But… he can’t do that,” said Dooley, looking aghast. “Tex is family.”
“Chase is a cop,” I reminded him. “And cops are legally obliged to arrest killers, even if they are members of their family. That’s what they teach them at the police academy.”
“But… can’t he turn a blind eye just this once?”