Reflections of a Stranger Read online

  Ed nodded. “My wife’s been a little edgy lately and thinks she’ll feel safer. Could you come back later today to add deadbolts and chains to the doors?”

  “Sure. I’ll go buy them this morning.” He scribbled on his work order. “Wendell told me about the strange calls your wife’s been getting and how she thinks someone was killed. Think about it, murder in a gated community. A person just doesn’t feel safe anymore.”

  “I’m not sure what she saw, but we didn’t find a body. I doubt it was a murder.”

  “If there’s anything else I can do, be sure and let me know.”

  “Now that you mention it, there is one way you can help. While you and Wendell are sleuthing around, keep a tight rein on him,” Ed suggested. “Don’t let him go overboard and turn my yard into an excavation site, especially before the police get here.”

  “I know what you mean.” A grin crept across Jack’s deeply creased face. “Wendell always wants to be the first rattler out of the box. He’s determined to solve this before the police. It sure is a puzzling situation, though.” He lifted his clipboard and shook it. “If we could just get our hands on that rat.”

  Ed sighed. “I don’t want you and Wendell going too far with this and get hurt. It’s better to let the authorities handle any dangerous situations.”

  “Right. Well, I’ll try to get the locks in this afternoon. At least that’ll be a step in the right direction.” Jack glanced around the office. “Nice den. Anything else you need repaired while I’m here?”

  A soft knock sounded at the partially opened office door.

  Jack stepped aside and Ed motioned for the cleaning woman to enter.

  Lupe’s voice trembled and her deep brown eyes flashed in alarm. “Señor Timms, the policía just drove up.” Her hands shook as she pushed back a strand of dark hair and secured it with a tortoiseshell comb. “Señora needs me. You let them in, sí?”

  “Sure, Lupe. I’ll be right there.” Ed’s heart went out to the anxious woman. Cora’s ordeal was taking a toll on her, too. He walked Jack to the side door, and offered a handshake. “Thanks again.”

  Jack turned to leave. “If I don’t get out of here, my van’s going to be blocked in the driveway. Give me a jingle if you need any more help.” The worker chuckled as he turned to leave. “I’ll do what I can with Wendell, but no promises.”

  ****

  Her stomach churned at the thought of facing the police. Cora worried she’d inadvertently reveal too much information. She took a deep breath, and then joined Ed in the living room.

  The older policeman seemed especially interested in the cabinet filled with Limoges china, Waterford crystal, and polished silver.

  His partner squinted as he scrutinized the paintings, prints, and sculptures that graced the residence. “I’m impressed. You’ve got quite a collection here, Mr. Timms.” The younger man removed his hat, and walked to a round table in the corner of the room. “What have we here?” He glanced at the bookshelf where several boxed puzzles were stacked.

  Cora stepped forward. “Those are mine. Puzzles help me relax when I’m alone.” She frowned. Badge or no badge, he’d better keep his grubby paws off the one in progress.

  Ed threw his wife a reassuring smile and took her hand. “Honey, these are Officers Reed and Davis. Officers, my beautiful wife, Cora.”

  Reed, the rookie cop, looked up from the puzzle. His mouth twisted into a smirk as he flipped a puzzle piece onto the table and swaggered over to his partner.

  Cora eased into a chair. So he was the bad cop in their little good cop/bad cop routine. She frowned as a warning echoed in her mind. Be careful what you say…be careful what you say.

  5

  A numb sensation engulfed Cora. This Reed fellow was tall and good-looking, still his smirk gave her the willies. She straightened her shoulders. If Officer Stud Muffin thought his attitude gave him power and dominance, he had another think coming. She looked up as he fixed his steely gaze on her. Cora swallowed. Well, maybe it did give him an edge.

  Officer Reed’s expression grew dark as Lupe entered the living room. The poor woman took one glance at him and set the serving tray on the nearby table. She handed a cup of coffee to Cora and quickly turned to leave.

  Ed placed his hand on Lupe’s shoulder. “Wait a minute, Lupe.”

  The woman stiffened, and her eyes widened.

  “This is our housekeeper. Lupe and her husband, Mateo Santalis, are under contract for the Saguaro Valley complex. They go out of their way to make sure things are spic-and-span around here.”

  A double chin formed as Lupe bowed her head and mumbled, “¡Hola!” She excused herself and retreated to the adjacent kitchen.

  Cora watched the housekeeper leave. “You’ll have to excuse our Lupe. She’s timid around strangers, especially when she doesn’t understand what’s going on.”

  With a slight nod of acknowledgment, Reed wrote in his notebook.

  Davis, the older of the two policemen, appeared to be close to retirement age. His goatee, and what was left of his dark hair, were heavily streaked with gray. He adjusted his reading glasses and nodded to his partner. “Officer Reed is going to scout around outside while I ask you a few questions, Mrs. Timms.” He paused and clicked his ballpoint in anticipation of her answers. “Your husband tells us you saw a prowler and a possible homicide last night.”

  “That’s right.” She sighed and clutched her coffee cup tighter as the snotty-hottie cop cocked his hat and went out the front door.

  Officer Davis’s voice was calm. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what happened from the beginning, ma’am?”

  The strain of a sleepless night left Cora an emotional blob. She dabbed her eyes and sniffed into her napkin. “There’s so much on my mind, it’s hard to know where to start.”

  “Have a seat, Officer Davis.” Ed cleared his throat. “This could take a while.”

  “Thank you. I think I will.” The older cop pulled out a straight-backed chair, and bumped the puzzle table.

  Cora grimaced as a rainfall of pictured fragments fell to the floor. The badged old billy goat didn’t even notice. Humph, some detective. And this klutz was going to solve the murder? She hid her face behind the cup and tensed as the cop cleared his throat and looked in her direction.

  “Mrs. Timms?”

  Cora peeked over the rim of her security cup. She might as well get this over with so he’d leave. She lowered her coffee. “It all started with the harassing phone calls.”

  “Wait, ma’am. I thought we were called here for a prowler and a possible murder.”

  “That’s half right.” Ed spoke on her behalf. “She saw two people on our patio last night.”

  She glared at Ed. “And, the other half is, I think one of them was killed. It all started with those crazy phone calls.”

  “Did anyone else witness these phone calls?”

  “No.” Her face warmed. “They only come when I’m alone.”

  The corner of Davis’s mouth twisted slightly. “Hmm. Let me see if I have this right. What you’re saying, Mrs. Timms, is you think the caller and the prowler are connected in some way?”

  “Yes, of course. He said he was watching me.”

  “Um, he was watching you over the phone?”

  Cora arched her brow. Where’d he go to school? Keystone Kop Kollege? “More than likely he looked in the window. Doesn’t that make sense?” She shifted in her seat and shrugged. “It makes perfect sense to me. Our neighbor, Patrick Hyde, saw a prowler, too. It was during the storm, and he called to warn me.”

  “What about this Patrick Hyde? Will he confirm your story?”

  “I’ve been trying to call him, officer,” Ed commented. “He doesn’t answer. Pat often takes little road trips at the drop of a hat.”

  “Do you have any idea who this window peeper might be?”

  Cora frowned. “Do I have any idea who…uh, no. Well, he says I know him, but I don’t recognize his voice.” Suddenly, incoherent
phrases erupted with pent-up frustration. “Look, he tracked me down, because I did something to him. I can’t remember him, or what I could’ve done. He saw my white slacks and purple blouse. Oh, and there was a wicked slice involved.”

  “Just a minute, Mrs. Timms. Let me catch up.” Davis’s pen scrawled across the notebook as he made a feeble attempt to record her statements. “Purple blouse, wick-ed sli-i-ice.”

  Cora ignored him and reached for her coffee. The floodgates were open, and there was no stopping it. “Sometimes it’s a woman. I’m sure I don’t know him. Oh, and the envelope has a red seal. I saw something in his hand.” Her voice strained. “He even knows about my…” Shut up, Cora! Fortunately, her verbal diarrhea stopped before she revealed too much. Yipes. Did she mention the envelope? The coffee cup wobbled as she returned it to the table. “This is all so confusing.”

  The questioning wasn’t going well. It wasn’t going well, at all. There was a train on the horizon, and she was tied to the rails. She just had to be more discreet. Focus, Cora, focus. It wasn’t time for Ed to know about her secret, and timing was everything. For now, it was nobody’s business but hers. She twisted her wedding band and licked her dry lips. Taking a cleansing breath, she willed herself to get a grip on her runaway emotions.

  The police officer stopped writing when Cora’s words became disconnected. He scratched his chin and looked at Ed with an odd grin. “Can you shed any light on this?”

  “Cora says the calls come when nobody else is here. She said they turned threatening last night. Then, she saw shadows outside the kitchen window after the neighbor called. I thought maybe it might be her reflection, or the neighbor’s cat.”

  “I see.”

  Cora gritted her teeth. Would he ever stop with his stupid cat theory? She reached for her coffee, again. “It was more than shadows, Edward. I saw real, live people. Not my reflection, and certainly not Smudge.” She lowered the cup to the table.

  Ed patted her knee. “Yes, Toots.”

  This man was really pushing her buttons. She tried to regain a smidgen of dignity, and pushed his hand away with a disgruntled sniff. If she didn’t know him better, she’d think he was involved in this whole mix-up.

  He turned to the officer and continued. “Where was I? Oh yes, when I came home, Cora was out cold on the kitchen floor.”

  The officer flipped to a fresh page in his notebook. “Mr. Timms, why didn’t you call us right away?”

  Ed put a supportive hand on Cora’s shoulder. “Like I said, she was in a state of shock when she came to. The constant storms we’ve had lately added to her stress, so the doctor said to keep her calm.”

  “Now, wait a minute,” said the officer. “Where’d the doctor come from?”

  “Next door.”

  “And, why didn’t you call us?”

  “Cora needed a doctor. She was weak and upset. All things considered, I thought it would be better to let her rest and talk to you this morning.”

  “I understand, but next time, don’t put it off. Even if your wife is upset, you should call us, so we can check the area,” he admonished. “Of course, the storm would have hampered our efforts, however, it’s very important that we get every trace of evidence as soon as possible.” The officer took a deep breath. “Could the calls just be a childish prank?”

  Cora came up for air. “Look, I’m getting calls and it’s not a child’s voice. They’re scaring me to death. I’m living this nightmare every minute of every day.”

  The officer’s reply was monotone. “Yes, ma’am.” He straightened his back. “Now these phone calls, can you tell me if you heard any background noise that might help pinpoint his location?”

  “Uh, I wasn’t listening for background noises. Besides, last night the phone line crackled with all the lightning and thunder.” She shifted in her seat as Lupe milled around in the kitchen, and listened to every word. “I-I had my mind on what they were saying.”

  “Right. During any of these phone calls, did you happen to notice anything about the voice that sounded familiar? An accent, maybe?”

  Cora searched the officer’s face. Was that another hint of skepticism in his tone? “I told you there are two callers. That should be in your notes, by the way. One man, one woman.”

  “What do they sound like?”

  “What do they sound like? Well, the man calls most of the time and his voice is gravely and raspy. It sounds a little forced. Do you think he’s trying to disguise it?”

  The monotone voice returned. “That would be my guess, ma’am.”

  “The woman sounded,” she leaned over to whisper, “Hispanic.” She cleared her throat. “But I didn’t recognize it.” She watched Lupe hurry from the kitchen.

  “How old would you guess the man to be?”

  “I don’t know. I told you he disguised his voice, but he’s not a kid.” Before Officer Davis could ask, she added, “The woman has a clear, younger-sounding voice.”

  “Do you have caller ID?”

  Ed muttered, “No, but it’s about time we got it.”

  The officer made a few additional notes. “What about the threats the caller made?”

  “He insisted I have something of his, and if I don’t give it to him, he’ll get Ed.”

  “That’s where the envelope comes in.”

  She gasped. Oh no, he did catch that. “Yes.” She bit her lower lip and looked at her hands. “I assure you, Officer Davis, I don’t have a clue as to what that man is talking about. He also said something curious. He said that Ed was working on his wicked slice. I’m not sure what golf has to do with anything.”

  Davis turned to Ed. “What do you know about the wicked slice?”

  He shrugged, unable to keep eye contact with Davis. “A slice is just a term golfers use. But I was at Sugar Dips getting ice cream, not giving lessons.”

  She’d known Ed for nearly forty years, and he was holding something back. Cora’s eyes narrowed. What was it?

  The cop rubbed the back of his neck. “Anything else either of you need to tell me?”

  Cora piped up. “We had a flat tire—tell him about the flat tire, Ed.” Without a second breath, she added, “They were new tires. Don’t you think it’s strange, Officer? A brand new tire flat already?”

  “For Pete’s sake,” Ed replied. “We can’t prove anything. It’s probably just a coincidence. I could’ve run over a nail.”

  Davis sniffed. “Let’s go ahead and make arrangements to tap your phone lines.”

  Her secret. “No.” Cora’s stomach churned. Her anxiety intensified. “I don’t want that.”Ed stared at his wife. “Why not? It’ll help catch these people. We all want them caught, don’t we?”

  She paused. “Of course we do, but tapping is an invasion of privacy.” Oooh, that sounded so lame. “I don’t want someone listening in on my private conversations. Some things are personal.”

  Ed threw his hands up in a gesture of frustration. “We can’t live like this. You’re not thinking it through. If all this is true, these people are dangerous.” He looked directly into her eyes. “You have me completely stumped. Where’s your logic, Cora?”

  She looked away. There was nothing she could say. Maybe she’d just plead the fifth or claim insanity. Let them figure it out.

  Davis scratched his head and leafed through his notes. “We’re not making any progress. Why don’t we go over this once more? Slowly.” He paused. “What about the prowler? Even though this will be difficult, we need to go to the kitchen. You can show me where you stood. Officer Reed will be outside the window, then you can tell me how far away the guy was.”

  They followed Davis to the kitchen and Cora stood at the sink. “First, Patrick called to warn me. I was right here making coffee. That’s when I saw two men fighting on our patio, and I reached up to put the window down.”

  The officer asked, “Exactly where were they standing?” He called through the open window for his partner to move accordingly. “Is this right, Mrs. Timms?�
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  “Maybe back a few steps.” She watched as snotty-hottie Reed followed directions.

  “Stop. Right there.”

  “Great. Now close your eyes and think about the scene for a moment. I know it was dark and rainy, but did you see what they were wearing?”

  Cora shut her eyes to recall the incident. “I remember they wore dark hoods, and there was something else.” She snapped her fingers. “I know what it was. One wore glasses.”

  “OK, hoods and glasses.” He jotted it down. “Now we’re cookin’. What else? Did he have anything in his hand like maybe an umbrel—”

  “Wait!” She blurted. “That’s it.”

  “Breakthrough,” Ed shouted. “He had an umbrella.”

  Cora stomped her foot. “No, no, no. Not an umbrella. It was a knife. I remember, now. He had a knife in his hand.”

  “A knife?” Davis questioned. “Are you sure that’s what it was? Remember it was dark and stormy. An umbrella would make more sense.”

  “Would you forget the umbrella? I’m very sure. After the man with the glasses fell down, the knife reflected in the lightning.” She lifted her hand to mimic the figure’s pose. “He held it like this.” She squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered. “He did kill him.”

  As Davis recorded her statement, Ed spoke up. “Why didn’t you say anything about the knife last night?”

  “I didn’t remember it until just now.” She felt her face warm. “In my defense, I did tell you I thought the man was killed.”

  “Wendell didn’t find a body out there, Toots. Dead bodies don’t have a habit of walking away from the scene.”

  The officer stepped closer. “You didn’t recall seeing a knife right after it happened?”

  She fidgeted and rubbed the back of her head. “I was out cold. That probably has something to do with my faulty memory. I knew he was holding an object, only I couldn’t picture it until now.”

  Davis scratched his ear and sniffed. He returned Ed’s glance.

  Cora caught their subtle reaction and grew frustrated. “You believe me, don’t you Ed?”