X, Page 36

  I moved back into the living room and sat down on the couch. I entertained myself by looking at the family photographs in silver frames that had been placed on the nearest end table. Children or grandchildren. There was no way to sort out which personal touches belonged to the condominium’s owner and which had been brought in by Teddy and Kim to help them feel at home.

  There was also a small stack of promotional brochures for what must have been the infamous condominium where Stella’s husband died. I was curious to see what million-dollar real estate was looking like these days. I picked up the brochure on top; a four-fold color spread showed the living room with its high coffered ceiling, wood-burning fireplace, and abundance of light, the gleaming kitchen, the marble-lined bathrooms, the bedrooms, the gracious outdoor patio with its view to the ocean in the distance. The accompanying sales pitch was one I could have written myself. The word “stunning” loomed large.

  A glossy library book about Tiffany jewelry rested open on the arm of the couch. The cover featured a necklace that looked like a baby’s bib, dense with diamonds, emeralds, and gold filigree. I didn’t realize Teddy had returned until she said, “I know what you’re thinking, that we’ve hardly fallen on hard times living in a place like this.” She carried a bottle of white wine and two wineglasses that she placed on the coffee table.

  “Crossed my mind.”

  “Kim and I are housesitting for a friend. We’re like gypsies. We pick up every few weeks and move to another encampment.”

  “But you don’t pay rent.”

  “True enough.” Her gaze drifted to the book about Tiffany jewelry. In one easy motion, she closed the book and set it on the floor by her chair.

  I kept my expression disinterested. “How long have you been here?”

  “A month. We have another month to go; maybe more if she extends her stay abroad.”

  Even in the harsh sunlight streaming through the windows, I was struck anew by her facial structure, with its angular planes, the prominent nose with the bump at the bridge. And all that excessive hair. It was a rich mahogany shade with glints of red, thick and layered, with some of the strands forming ringlets. If she was wearing makeup, it wasn’t evident. I watched her use an auger-style opener to remove the cork. It was the same wine we’d enjoyed that night at the Clipper estate.

  “Still drinking good wine, I see.”

  “Oh, please. I don’t care how low you sink, there’s no excuse for bad Chardonnay.” She poured wine in my glass and then filled her own. She lifted hers in a gesture of goodwill and took her first sip, then eased into the adjacent chair. “Kim tells me you spoke to Ari.”

  “Yesterday afternoon. The place is in a state of upheaval.”

  “Stella’s doing, I’m sure.”

  We were skipping from topic to topic, but it kept the tone light. I said, “I expected Kim to be here.”

  “It would only complicate the conversation. She’s off at the gym lifting weights. We have a facility here in the complex, so it doesn’t cost us anything. That’s the sort of thing we have to worry about these days.”

  “I can only imagine the shock.”

  She had the good grace to laugh, but I knew I shouldn’t push her too far. She was living in “reduced circumstances,” and while her lifestyle was luxurious compared to mine, I felt some sympathy for her lot.

  “You and Kim have been friends for a long time?”

  “More so now than we were in the ‘olden’ days. Back then we traveled in the same social circles, but we didn’t know each other well. In a curious way, we had nothing in common. Then Bret got caught embezzling from the investment firm he worked for and he went to prison. Now we’re migratory birds.”

  “Must have been difficult for her.”

  “Very. They’d always lived well, and Kim assumed his outrageous salary was legitimate. Part of the fault was hers, of course, because she was strictly hands-off when it came to their personal finances. She didn’t want to be bothered, and Bret was happy to let her think it was all too complicated to explain. She was lucky to find a job. She’s like me in that she has no marketable skills.”

  “She can answer the phone graciously. That’s no small accomplishment.”

  “She has good breeding to recommend her, which is more than I can say for myself. Also to her credit is the fact that she knows so many of the company’s clients, which is both the good news and the bad. She says she feels like she’s being pilloried in the public square, where her shame is on permanent display. No one says a word, but she knows they’re all thinking the same thing: that she must have known he was stealing. That she’d enjoyed their ill-gotten gains and now she could take her licks the same way he did. She’s a criminal by default.”

  “What about you? Your life’s taken a distinct right-hand turn.”

  “No need to remind me. I went to Los Angeles one weekend, thinking life was fine. I returned Monday morning and discovered my husband and my best friend had been screwing around behind my back. I’m still not sure which makes me the more furious, his betrayal or hers. Stella was fun. She had a catty side and she skewered everyone in private. She’s a great mimic and absolutely without mercy. Serves me right for laughing so hard on so many occasions. Now I’m the butt of the joke.”

  “Not in Ari’s eyes.”

  “Ari,” she said, and shook her head.

  “How long were you married?”

  “Seventeen years. He was married once before. Three kids, and I adore them. That’s been hard on all of us. Well, not Ari so much as the kids and me.”

  “He said they were barely speaking to him.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Anything less and I’d feel bad about myself.”

  “You want to talk about our meeting at the Clipper estate?”

  She smiled. “That was well done, wasn’t it?”

  “When you chose me, was that random or just my bad luck?”

  “Oh, no. I looked into it. There aren’t that many women private eyes in town. In fact, you were the only one, so that much was easy. I drove past your office and I could see from the neighborhood that it wasn’t high-toned. I’m sorry for the deception, but please remember, you did get paid.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to bring her up short on that score, but I kept my mouth shut. Apparently, she didn’t know the bills were marked. At the very least, she didn’t realize law enforcement was creeping up on her. In either case, playing my cards close to my chest put me at a slight advantage. “How did you know to mention Vera Hess? That really sunk the hook in deep.”

  “Kim knows her. Your name came up in the course of conversation a few months ago when she showed up at an open house.”

  “Was any of it true, what you told me that night?”

  She shrugged. “Not Geoffrey, obviously. I invented him. Much of the rest of it I invented as well. No home in Malibu. No travels around the world. Even as I was spinning the yarn, I felt . . . I don’t know . . . I guess ‘wistful’ is the word.”

  “So the Clipper estate wasn’t your childhood home.”

  “Far from it. I grew up in Chicago. Not the nice part. Ours was one of those houses you can see from the freeway when you’re coming into the city from the airport.”

  “Ari told me you both came up from nothing.”

  “That’s true, and we earned every dime of the money we made along the way. Have you met Stella?”

  “I passed her in the hall on my way down to the gym. She said two words and I knew she was a bitch.”

  Teddy laughed.

  I said, “He and Stella seem ill-suited, don’t you think?”

  “That’s because she isn’t Greek.”

  “So Greeks should only marry Greeks?”

  “If you knew any, you wouldn’t have to ask.”

  I steered us back to the sleight of hand at the Clipper estate. “How
did you do it?”

  “I have a friend who’s a stager.”

  “She must have owed you big-time.”

  “Oh, she did.”

  I picked up a brochure from the top of the stack. “Is this the condominium where Stella’s husband died?”

  “It is.”

  “The brochure was your idea, right?”

  “I thought we should expand our exposure. I had no idea how effective it would be.”

  “Mind if I keep this?”

  “If you like. It sold in two days, much to my astonishment.”

  “That’s good news,” I said. “I understand the real estate market’s been depressed.”

  “We were fortunate to find a buyer.”

  “Too bad you couldn’t hang on to it.”

  “Easy come, easy go. It’s an attitude I share with Kim. It’s not that either one of us enjoys being strapped for cash, but when you start at the bottom, it’s not unfamiliar turf. I pulled myself up once and I can do it again. You have to have an exit strategy.”

  “What’s yours?”

  She declined to respond, so I moved on, saying, “I take it you made Christian Satterfield’s acquaintance through Kim’s husband?”

  “Exactly, but by the time I realized I was in need of his services, he’d already been released. Bret had no idea how to get in touch with him, and I’m a complete innocent when it comes to the prison system.”

  “Which is where I came in.”

  “I must say I was surprised by the speed with which you produced his contact information.”

  “Workin’ like a little beaver for my pay,” I said. I tucked the brochure in my shoulder bag. As is sometimes the case in conversation, I was picking up a line she hadn’t spoken aloud. “You haven’t mentioned the story about the baby you gave up for adoption.”

  “I thought it had a certain ring of truth to it.”

  “Isn’t that because it’s true?”

  That was another avenue she didn’t care to explore.

  I said, “When I met Christian, he didn’t look like any parolee I’ve ever seen. His hair was styled and his wardrobe was elegant. Did you do that for him?” I knew full well she had, but I was curious to see if she’d own up to it.

  “Being handsome counts a lot in this world. He’d never get a job looking as he did.”

  “Maybe Ari will hire him if he doesn’t get sent back to Lompoc.”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Well, whatever happens, that was nice of you.”

  “He tells me you went into Lou’s looking for him, so you must have realized how bright he is. Why did you want to talk to him?”

  “I hoped to warn him off. I got him into this and I’d like to get him out. I don’t know what you have in mind, but it can’t be good for anyone.”

  “How much did he tell you?”

  “Nothing and I didn’t press the point. This is between you and your ex. My only concern is to see that Christian and I don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

  Her look was unblinking and I had no way to know if she was really hearing me or not.

  “You have any idea where the baby was placed?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I did leave a letter in his file, but I’ve never heard from him.”

  “There’s time yet. Does Ari know?”

  She shook her head for the second time. Then she said, “So now what? So far, I don’t see that we’ve settled anything.”

  “I was just getting to that. I’m going to do you a favor here. And this is purely hypothetical,” I added for purposes of clarity. “Let’s say two years ago you came into some money, maybe twenty-five thousand bucks in cash in exchange for missing art . . .”

  I could see I had her undivided attention, so I went on.

  “I’m not asking you to confirm or deny because I don’t want to know. All I’m saying is that if, by some chance, the police kept a record of the serial numbers on those bills, you’d be very smart to go back, anonymously if you must, and clean up the mess. Do you know the man I’m referring to?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he know it was you, in this totally imaginary theft?”

  She shook her head in the negative.

  “Give him back the money. I know you still have it because two hundred of that is the cash you paid me for putting you in touch with Christian Satterfield. See how good I am to you? I’m not even asking what you’re up to.”

  “I’d be prosecuted.”

  “Making restitution is your only chance of avoiding prosecution. He can look at it as an object lesson. He should have had his million-dollar painting insured in the first place.”

  “What makes you think this man would agree?”

  “He has his painting back. If you give back the cash, what’s he got to complain about? It’s called making a deal. Settling out of court. It’s done every day, just not quite like this.”

  “I understand and I’ll take care of it.”

  “Which brings us back to Ari. Do you want to know what I think?”

  “By all means.”

  “The way I see it, you’re pissed at Ari. He’s pissed at you. Neither of you have much use for Stella. You’re desperate for something, but I’m not sure what. Only that you’re willing to steal it if push comes to shove. Ari’s feeling ripped off and he’s determined not to make one more concession to you. You’re setting up some kind of showdown to make him look bad or make yourself look good, but I don’t see the point. You can’t battle with Ari and imagine the rest of us won’t suffer the consequences. There has to be another way to work out your differences.”

  “So earnest.”

  “I am. And don’t condescend.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Talk to Ari.”

  “I don’t want to talk to Ari. If anything, he’s the one who should be talking to me.”

  “Good. Fine. I can set that up.”

  “I didn’t say I’d do it. I’m pointing out that if either one of us is to yield ground, it should be him. He’s cost me everything. My marriage, the home I love, my best friend.”

  “Actually, you kind of did that to yourself, slapping him with papers so fast. You could have allowed yourself a little cooling-off period.”

  “Too late now.”

  “No, it’s not. That’s exactly what I’m getting at.”

  “Have you ever been married?”

  I held up two fingers.

  “And how did that turn out?”

  “Just because I couldn’t solve my own problems doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have a go at yours.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’ll have to let us muddle through on our own.”

  “But you’re making a hash of it,” I said. “This is what I find so exasperating. I thought rich people were smart. I thought that’s why you raked in all the money, because you had life all figured out.”

  “Wouldn’t that be lovely,” she said, but her expression was bleak.

  39

  When I got home, Henry’s kitchen light was off. I unlocked the studio and went in just long enough to turn on living room lamps so I wouldn’t have to return to a dark apartment. When I peered out the window, I could see light in the Shallenbargers’ kitchen across the driveway. As Edna moved about, crossing from the sink to the stove, I realized even her shadow was sufficient to fill me with rage. I locked up and trotted the half block to Rosie’s.

  Henry was sitting at his usual table, working on the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle and helping himself to freshly popped corn. He had a Black Jack over ice on the table next to him. “Oh good. Are you having supper here? I could use the company. Now that my water line has been repaired, I feel a burden has been lifted.”

  “I’m not much in the mood to eat,�
� I said. I sat down and settled my shoulder bag on the floor by my chair. “We have a problem.”

  “Of what sort?”

  “I did some checking today and discovered that the Adelsons are still the legal owners of the house next door. The Shallenbargers put the water service in their name and possibly other utilities as well, though I’m not sure about that. The point is, they have no agreement with the Adelsons to rent, lease, or otherwise occupy that house. They’re squatters.”

  He blinked. “Are you sure?”

  “I called the Adelsons in Richmond and discussed the situation with Trish. She proposed flying out, but I said we’d have a conversation with them first.”

  “How did they have the nerve?”

  “It’s possible they knew the Adelsons had moved out of state and thought they could slip in without anyone knowing the difference. The real estate market isn’t exactly booming. Trish says their agent hasn’t showed the house in months. God knows what would have happened if she had come by with prospective buyers. I guess the Shallenbargers would have claimed they had a bona fide rental agreement. Their agent would be furious to think they’d rented the place after she so strongly advised them against the idea, but she wouldn’t be able to confirm or refute the arrangement without making a long-distance call the way I did. In the meantime, the Shallenbargers would probably just come up with another bogus claim.”

  “How’d they get in in the first place? I’m sure the Adelsons left the place secure.”

  “They probably called a locksmith and claimed they’d locked themselves out.”

  “What made them think they could get away with it?”

  “They did get away with it, at least to date. And while we’re on the subject of getting away with stuff, I can testify Joseph’s no more disabled than I.”

  “Well, this certainly can’t go on.”

  “My feeling precisely. You want to go over there and talk to them?”

  “I don’t see that we have a choice.”

  I waited while Henry paid for his drink and then we walked the half block to the Shallenbargers’ house. As Henry rapped on the door, he murmured, “You want to talk to them or shall I?”