“Yes.”
“There are windows in this bedroom, correct?”
Kimberly raised an eyebrow at her. “What are you suggesting?”
“Not a thing. Just trying to nail down whether you can be absolutely sure he was in that room at the time of Augie Donatelli’s death. And you can’t be.”
“Kenny barely knew Augie…” Kimberly’s lower lip began to quiver. “Besides, he wouldn’t have anything to do with violence. He’s not like that.”
“Trust me, girl. Right place, right time, we’re all like that.”
“Not Kenny!” Tears began to spill from Kimberly’s blue eyes. So much for yogic serenity. What was it J. Z. had said about her? She feels everything. “How could you even think such a thing?”
“Just doing my job,” Yolie responded coolly. “Where was Mrs. Breslauer at this time?”
“All tired out from playing hostess. She told us she felt like crawling into bed and watching something stupid on TV.”
“You’re saying she was in her room, too?”
“That’s right.”
Meaning that Kimberly didn’t know that Beth had slipped out the back door of the Captain Chadwick House just before Augie’s murder and taken off on foot. Or that she was lying to provide a cover for Beth. Not that Mitch considered Kimberly particularly devious or conspiratorial. But how did he know for certain what lay underneath that sunny calm of hers? Did she feel hatred and rage just like other people did? Was she capable of acting on such dark human emotions? The short answer: he didn’t know.
Kenny came in the door now and headed straight for the front desk to make things right with Hal. His manner was totally cordial. Hal’s was, too. Smiles all around before the two of them bumped knucks.
Then Kenny moseyed over their way. “Okay, Berger, this time I know I’ve got you,” he said eagerly. “Ready? Here goes: ‘You want me to hold the chicken?’ ”
“ ‘I want you to hold it between your knees,’ ” Mitch answered promptly. “That’s Jack Nicholson to the coffee shop waitress in Five Easy Pieces. Give it up, Lapidus. You’ll never beat me.”
“This man is a freak!” he exclaimed, shaking his head in dumbfounded amazement. “Kimmy, would you mind if I grabbed a coffee with him instead of taking your class?”
She squeezed his hand. “Of course not.”
Mitch said, “I’ve been pumping iron for the past hour. I should jump in the shower real quick.”
“Don’t bother. I work with computer weasels, remember? If they change their socks once a week it’s a miracle.”
“Mr. Lapidus, I’m Sergeant Yolanda Snipes of the Major Crime Squad,” Yolie spoke up. “I’m investigating Augie Donatelli’s murder. Don’t wander too far, okay? You and me need to log some face time.”
Kenny swallowed nervously. “We do? How come?”
“Routine stuff. No big deal.”
“Okay, sure. We’ll be right outside in the food hall.”
As Mitch and Kenny started for the door, Yolie grabbed Mitch and said, “If you speak to our girl, tell her I’ll be in touch. I intend to keep her in the loop and busy. I don’t want her to go crazy.”
“Yolie, that makes two of us.”
Most of the food stalls were closed on Sunday morning. But the bakery and espresso bar were doing a brisk business. The village’s early birds liked to gather there over coffee to peruse the newspapers and gab away.
Mitch and Kenny ordered lattes and found a table. Mitch was still thinking about Yolie’s line of questioning. He couldn’t imagine that Beth, Kenny or Kimberly had anything to do with Augie’s death. And yet, Augie had been borderline stalking Beth. And Beth had slipped out at the time of his murder. Kenny, it appeared, could have easily done the same. And Kimberly could have been unaware-or was playing dumb.
Across the table, Kenny was studying him intently. He had a serious look on his face. “I’m glad you’ve done so well, Berger. I’ve followed your career. Never miss one of your reviews. And I-I saw your wife’s obituary. I thought about sending you a card but I didn’t think you’d remember me.”
“Are you kidding? Of course I would.”
“Listen, this is kind of weird, but if I ask you something, man to man, will you promise to tell me the truth?”
“I promise.”
“What the hell’s going on with my mom?”
Mitch took a sip of his coffee. “I’m not sure what you mean, Lapidus.”
“I mean, do you know who she’s seeing? Because she’s got a man in her life, I’m positive. Not that she’s said one word to me. Which isn’t like Mom at all. We always tell each other everything. We’re best friends. No secrets. Not ever.” Kenny broke off, breathing in and out. “I’m figuring whoever this guy is, she’s really ashamed. Like maybe he’s married or something. Since Dorset’s such a small town I thought maybe you’d heard some blowback or-or-”
“Slow down. What makes you so sure she’s seeing someone?”
Kenny blinked at him. “I’m no dummy, okay? Last night she told us she was going to crawl into bed and watch TV. Maybe she fooled Kimmy-but not me. Who puts on perfume before she climbs into bed alone? Mom slipped out the back door, Berger. I heard her. I didn’t hear her take her car out of the garage. So I’m figuring this guy must live within walking distance. Any idea who he might be?”
Actually a prime candidate did pop into Mitch’s mind. A good-looking free spirit in his early forties whose girlfriend worked nights. J. Z. lived within walking distance of the Captain Chadwick House. And Beth would not want Kenny or Kimberly to know that she was getting it on with Kimberly’s ex-husband. Because that was, well, sick. So sick that Mitch didn’t even want to go there. Not out loud anyhow. “The guy doesn’t have to live within walking distance, Lapidus,” he said. “He could have been waiting down the street for her in his car.”
“That’s true,” Kenny conceded.
“What time did Beth get home?”
“Four o’clock in the morning. I was wide-awake all night waiting for her.”
“Did you talk to her about it?”
“No,” he said abruptly. “She’s a grown woman. Her love life really isn’t any of my business. But I need to know. Seriously, Berger, you’d tell me if you knew anything, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Kenny sat there gripping his coffee container tightly in both hands. “Mom’s been through such a world of hurt ever since Irwin died. Irwin made her happy. Her life was a pleasure. Trust me, that wasn’t the case after my father took off. When you knew us back in Stuyvesant Town, wow, every day was a struggle for Mom. All she ever did was work her ass off and take care of me. She never had any time for herself. Not that she ever complained.”
“Do you ever hear from him?”
“From who?”
“Your father.”
“I have no father,” Kenny shot back. “I think he’s out on the West Coast somewhere. He’s an accountant or auditor of some kind. He remarried, started another family. But I don’t know how many kids he has or-or what their names are. I don’t want to know. I want nothing to do with that bastard. A guy who bails on his young wife and son the way he did. Leaving us to fend for ourselves. What kind of a man does that? When Kimmy and I start our family, believe me, those kids will know they have a father who loves them. No one should have to grow up like I did.”
“And yet you did damned well, Lapidus.”
“No thanks to him. It was Irwin who was there for me. Not that he ever got in my face or anything. He understood that he wasn’t my father. But he gave me a push when I needed one. Taught me to believe in myself. Irwin wasn’t a flashy sort of guy. A nebbish, really. But solid. And he worshiped the ground Mom walked on. Every morning at breakfast he’d tell her how beautiful she was. He was good to her. And he left her real fiscally fit.” Kenny paused, running a hand through his thatch of hair. “Which, being honest, is my real concern. Mom’s sitting on a mondo pile of dough. Not surprisingly, there are a million sleazeballs out there looking for a rich widow to prey on. She’s a prime target. Trusting and kind. And still plenty attractive for a woman her age, don’t you…?” Kenny peered at him. “Wow, Berger, you just got real red all of a sudden.”