Stay Sharpe Box Set Page 3

  “So you hadn’t been back in this room before last night?”

  “Honestly, no. It was hard going through everything the first time. We had to look at each piece individually, and Patsy and Jeb gave me an estimate of its value. It was so draining.” She pointed across the room. “That side had a lot of the bigger pieces, but there was a clear separation between the two sides.”

  “When did they move the auction items out of here?”

  “About a month ago when Russell and I were in Boston. I guess I should have been here, but I trusted Jeb and Patsy to take care of things. When we finished sorting that day, everything on this side was in boxes and wrapped up.”

  It was clear that someone had rifled through the boxes and bins. “Who else had access to this room?”

  “Well, Russell, of course. But he says he never comes in here. And there’s Abby. She’s the housekeeper who’s been with me for the past few months.”

  Deena raised an eyebrow.

  “I seriously doubt it was her. Why would she make such a mess and just leave it that way? She would know how suspicious that would look.”

  “Maybe. Is she working today?”

  “No, but she’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “I think we should have a talk with her. In the meantime, we should pay a visit to Patsy and Jeb. After all, they were in charge of the auction and were here when everything was moved.”

  “Okay. I’ll get their number and call them. And Deena, I just want you to know how much I appreciate your help. I can even pay you, if you want.”

  “Don’t be silly. We’re family.”

  Estelle left the room just as Deena’s cell phone rang. She checked the number and was surprised to see it was Detective Guttman. Yes, because of her work as an investigator, she indeed had him logged in as one of her phone contacts.

  “You owe me one,” Guttman said, skipping any pleasantries, as usual. “That guy your sister-in-law kicked in the leg at the auction wanted to press charges. Probably thinks he could get a big pay day out of suing a rich gal like that.”

  “Oh, my. What’s his name? I need to warn Estelle.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Anyway, I talked him out of it. Told him she would get a high-priced lawyer and make a fool of him.”

  Guttman could prove to be a valuable ally sometimes. “That’s great. I really appreciate it.”

  “But there’s a hitch. I told him I would recommend she serve some community service time. He seemed to like that. I guess he wanted to see her have to get her hands dirty for a change.”

  “I see, but just so you know, Estelle is really down-to-earth.”

  “I have a two-hundred-thousand-dollar Bentley in the police impound lot that says otherwise.”

  “Fair enough,” she conceded, “but driving to the event in that car was unusual. A special occasion.”

  “Whatever. If I were you, I’d get her volunteering as quickly as possible before the guy changes his mind. Should I call her, or do you want to break the good news?”

  “I’ll do it. Did you find anything else out from any of the witnesses?”

  “Seriously? You’re a smart cookie, Deena. You know I can’t tell you that.”

  “I know you could tell me, but you won’t.”

  “Why do I get the feeling that you’re getting involved in this case...again?”

  “Because it’s personal. And because I’m good at it.”

  “Are you still working as an investigator for that lawyer, Ian Davis?”

  “Actually, I’ve taken a temporary leave of absence. His wife, Sandra, had her baby, and I’m taking over at the thrift store for her. But that doesn’t mean I’m not available to help out if you need me.”

  “I don’t see that happening. But seriously, if you and your sister-in-law come up with anything, you’ll tell me about it, right?”

  “Sure. Probably.”

  “Now Deena, you know there’s someone out there who wanted those coins—”

  She interrupted. “Enough to kill for. Yeah, yeah. I’ve already heard it from my husband. I don’t need to hear it again from you.”

  “I don’t know how that man puts up with you.”

  Deena had to smile. “I could take that as police harassment, you know.”

  “I could have had you arrested for interfering with a police investigation at least a half-dozen times, you know. Goodbye, Mrs. Sharpe.”

  “Bye, and thanks for helping Estelle.”

  She hung up. Let’s hope there’s not another murder in Maycroft when I tell Estelle she’s going to be picking up trash on the side of the highway.

  * * *

  THE JOHNSONS AGREED to meet Deena and Estelle at the Auction Barn on the outskirts of town. Deena had been there many times before. The exterior of the old structure was plastered with rusty metal signs advertising motor oil and old soda pop. A hitching post for horses and one of those old wooden paneled trucks decorated the front of the building. As a collector and antiques dealer, Deena always got a little tingly going into an auction house or a flea market. You just never knew what you might find.

  The Johnson Auction Company was a family-owned business. The eldest son, Leroy Johnson, worked for his parents on the side. He owned several storage facilities in town. He and his buddies also hired out as movers when called upon. It was not uncommon for people in small towns to have several forms of employment to make ends meet.

  “Come on in,” Patsy said when they came through the door. “I’m glad you called. We need to work out some of the details about what to do with the rest of the auction items.”

  Jeb appeared from behind a stack of boxes. He reached out his hand to shake. It wasn’t the coarse hand of a farmer, but not quite the smooth hand of a man who had spent his life behind a desk, either.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked Estelle. “You went through a lot yesterday, what with the breakdown and the death of your butler.”

  Estelle wrinkled her nose. “First of all, Mr. Dietz wasn’t my butler. He was my driver—actually, my mother’s driver. And second, what breakdown are you referring to?”

  It’s funny how some rich people get so defensive about having money.

  Taking a step back, Jeb looked at Deena and winked as though they shared some kind of private joke. “Oh, okay. It wasn’t a breakdown. I guess you were just a bit ‘emotional’ about selling off your family’s belongings.” He made air quotes with his fingers. “I’ve seen it before. It happens. Don’t you worry about it.”

  The heat rose in Estelle’s face. She looked like a teapot about to boil over. “Look here, Mr. Johnson. The reason I took that painting was that it was never supposed to be in the auction in the first place. In fact, there were several items auctioned off that I never authorized you to sell. That’s why I got so upset.”

  Deena nodded, letting him know she was on Team Estelle.

  “How could that have happened?” Patsy made a sour face. “We went through the items together. Of course, there were a few things you apparently added after that, but I just thought—”

  “I didn’t add anything. That’s the problem.” Estelle crossed her arms, holding her temper at bay. “You said you would leave the items that were stacked by the closet. Clearly, that didn’t happen. Why did you break our agreement?”

  This side of Estelle was new to Deena. Estelle had gone from a church mouse to a real spitfire.

  Patsy’s jaw dropped as she looked at her husband.

  He rolled his eyes at her. “I knew we couldn’t trust him. You said he could handle it.”

  Patsy rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked tired and older today.

  “What is it,” Deena asked. “What’s going on?”

  Jeb took a handkerchief from his back pocket and blew his nose, an obvious stall tactic. “Leroy. Our son. You see, we had to go out of town for Patsy’s aunt’s funeral. We left Leroy and his crew to haul everything back here to be catalogued. He must not have listened—as usual.”
>
  Patsy headed toward the office area. “Leroy! Get out here!”

  The young man strolled into the floor room with his thumbs tucked under the straps of his denim overalls. He had apparently gotten his height from his mama and his girth from his papa. At over six feet tall and pushing two hundred and fifty pounds, he was the kind of country boy you didn’t want to mess with.

  “What’s up?” He glanced past his mother and tipped his John Deere trucker cap in the direction of Estelle and Deena. “Howdy, ladies.”

  Deena expected Patsy to grab his ear and drag him over like Dennis the Menace.

  “What did you do, son, at Miss Estelle’s house?” Patsy asked. “You were only supposed to get the stuff on the right side of the room, remember? I even wrote it down for you.”

  Leroy spit on the floor and rubbed it with his boot. “I know how to do my job. It’s just not as easy as you think. You made it sound like there’d be stuff over here ’n stuff over there.” He used his hands to illustrate. “You never mentioned all the stuff in the middle.”

  Patsy shook her head. “In the middle? What are you talking about?”

  “Maw. There was stuff tossed all over. Looked like a garbage heap, no offense,” he said, glancing as Estelle. “I did my best to guess where the middle was.”

  Jeb turned to Estelle. “Did you go back in there and shuffle things around after we sorted it all out?”

  “No. Absolutely not.” Although her words were confident, her expression showed doubt.

  Jeb lowered his head to peer at her over the top of his glasses. “Well, it sounds like someone did.”

  They all stood awkwardly. Deena jumped in. “What about the missing coins? Do you have any ideas about who might have taken them right out from under your noses?”

  Jeb glanced at Patsy. “We’ve been doing this a long time. We’ve had some small lots come up missing after the preview, but never after the auction has started. I’m calling my insurance agent first thing tomorrow to see how much I’m covered for.”

  Estelle nodded. “Okay, but I’m not as concerned about the value of the coin collection as I am about who stole it. The police think the thief is the same person who killed Leonard Dietz.”

  “Killed him?” Jeb took a step back as though dodging a punch to the face. “I thought he fell and hit his head. That detective didn’t say anything about him getting killed. Anyway, we told him everything we know.” He eyed Leroy. “What about you, son, did you see anything suspicious?”

  He shuffled his weight back and forth and stared at the ground.

  Having interviewed plenty of witnesses as a former reporter and an investigator for a defense attorney, Deena could see that Leroy was hiding something.

  “Like I told the cops, I didn’t see nothing.”

  Deena considered pointing out that he had used a double negative in that sentence, which actually meant he did indeed see something. She took a more subtle approach. “I’m sure it’s hard to keep your eye on everything. You guys had your hands full last night.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Did anyone else notice anything unusual, as far as you know? Was anyone providing security inside the hall?”

  More eye darting from Leroy. “Well, Billy was supposed to be keeping his eyes on the room, but...” He glanced down again.

  They all waited.

  Finally, he finished. “There were a few minutes there when I couldn’t find him.”

  Jeb nearly fell out of his boots. “Couldn’t find him? What do you mean?”

  “We needed help carrying that big statue, so I called him on the walkie-talkie, but he didn’t answer. I looked around and didn’t see him. I thought maybe he was in the john, but when he showed back up, I knew he hadn’t been.”

  Patsy asked the question everyone was wondering. “How could you tell?”

  Leroy shoved his big hands in his pockets and lowered his head. “Because he smelled like weed.”

  “Oh, Lordy,” Patsy sighed. “I told you not to let that good for nothing leech keep working for you. He’s about as useful as a handkerchief in a rainstorm.”

  “But Maw, we’ve been friends since we were kids.”

  “We’re running a business here, not a nursery school.” Her face took on a blush as she turned back to Estelle. “I’m sorry, Miss Estelle. I don’t know what else to say. We were planning on selling the rest of your items at this Saturday night’s regular auction. I’ll understand if you want to go somewhere else.”

  “No, that’s fine. The sooner the better. I’m ready to put this behind me.”

  Estelle and Deena turned to leave, and Leroy followed them outside.

  He touched Deena’s arm and then waited as Estelle got in the car. “You ain’t thinking Billy stole those coins, are you?”

  “I wasn’t, but now I’m wondering if you can be sure he didn’t.” Deena tried to read his face. It was an honest face this time.

  “’Cuz I know he ain’t no thief.”

  “When faced with temptation, we all do things out of character sometimes.”

  “Not Billy. He has no character.”

  Deena was pretty sure Leroy didn’t realize how that sounded, so she let it slide. “This wasn’t the same guy who Estelle, you know...” She made a kicking motion with her foot.

  “Naw. That was Randy. He was pissed.”

  She nodded. “Did you tell Detective Guttman about Billy?”

  “No, I didn’t think about it until this morning when he didn’t show up to help unload the truck.”

  “We’re going to have to talk to him. Maybe he saw something or someone that could be helpful. What’s his full name?”

  “Billy Ratliff. I don’t suppose that would hurt. He lives out on Fletcher. Just don’t say anything to my parents. They already hate the guy.”

  “Fine. I’ll see you Saturday night at the auction.”

  “Yes’um.”

  As they pulled away, Estelle took out her phone. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “I’m not sure. What are you thinking?”

  “Obviously, someone was in my house and went through that bedroom. The only person it could be is my housekeeper, Abby.” Estelle punched in a number. “Abby, I need you to come to my house immediately. I have some questions for you.”

  As if it wasn’t bad enough that Leonard Dietz was dead because of Estelle’s auction, now they had a case of domestic pilfering to deal with. Maybe Estelle was just one of those people bad luck seemed to follow.

  * * *

  ON THE WAY BACK TO the house, Estelle and Deena plotted and strategized their approach with Abby. They chose to go with good cop/bad cop. Estelle would be the bad cop since she could threaten to fire Abby. Deena would be sympathetic and helpful.

  Obviously, none of this would be necessary if Abby told the truth when asked, but they both doubted that would happen. But there was a hitch in the plan. Estelle really wanted to hang on to Abby. According to Russell, she made the best barbequed short ribs he’d ever put in his mouth. Sure, they could get another housekeeper who cooked, but some talents are just irreplaceable.

  Deena closed off the den, not wanting the boys to get in the way of their plan as they waited for Abby’s arrival.

  It wasn’t long until Deena opened the door and welcomed the poor girl into their trap. “Hi,” she said congenially. “I’m Deena Sharpe, Estelle’s sister-in-law.”

  The girl smiled, albeit suspiciously. “Is Miss Estelle here?” Her voice shook a little, making her sound more like a twelve-year-old girl than a twenty-something woman. It didn’t help that she had her brown locks pulled back in a ponytail.

  “Come on in,” Deena said and led her up the stairs.

  Abby had put on her maid’s uniform, which consisted of a scrub top with her name embroidered on it and a pair of black slacks. She may have assumed Estelle wanted her for an emergency cleaning chore.

  At the top of the stairs, Estelle stood in front of the open bedroom door with
her arms crossed and a look on her face that would have scared the devil. “Abby, I’m going to ask you a question, and I need an honest answer. Have you been in this room since you started working here?”

  The girl swallowed hard. “No, ma’am.”

  Estelle stared daggers at her. She must have been counting in her head. It seemed like forever before she spoke again. “Are you sure? Think hard, now.”

  “I’m...sure.” The color drained from the poor girl’s face, either from guilt or plain old fear.

  “As far as you know, has anyone else been in here?”

  Abby’s eyes darted side to side. That might be her “tell,” a sure sign that she was lying. “I saw you in there with some other people. Is that what you’re talking about?”

  “No. I mean someone else. Maybe your brother or a boyfriend?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Well, someone was in here, and I doubt it was a cat burglar.”

  Tears began to well in the girl’s eyes. “I promise you, it wasn’t me.”

  Estelle looked at Deena. “What do you think? Should I fire her?”

  Abby let out a groan, which was just the reaction Deena had hoped for.

  “Let’s not make any rash decisions before we talk to the police,” Deena said.

  The girl’s eyes grew as wide as saucers and her mouth dropped open. She looked like she might spill the beans when her mouth snapped shut.

  Deena took her by the arm and led her downstairs. They stood on the front porch.

  Abby wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Am I in trouble? I’ve never been in trouble with the police my whole life. Does this have something to do with the auction?”

  “News travels fast. Look, I’m sure it will all work itself out as soon as we find out who was in that room. If you know something, you can tell me. I know Estelle likes you. I can talk her into not firing you if you just tell the truth.”

  Abby looked away and squirmed. “There was this man who came by one day right after Miss Estelle and her husband left town.”