The Beginning Page 11

  “So he comes to Neuspech. We come to Neuspech. And there’s a murder.” I don’t think the events are related, though. But maybe in his mind, Marlowe blames me for bringing murder to his town.

  “And, Misty, he’s determined to solve this one,” Frank said.

  “Which is great, I admire that. But arresting Jerome on almost no evidence is not the way to go about it.”

  “Jerome had no alibi, has a record, and has a history with the victim.”

  “What did he say he was doing?” This was all in my notes, but I wanted to see if Marlowe got his facts straight.

  “Walking home from work.” And he was.

  “Walking? But they have a car,” I said pretending not to know.

  “Yes, and supposedly he leaves it with Marcella in case something happens with the kids. She’ll drop him off sometimes, but if the kids are in bed he doesn’t want them woken up to get him. And they try not to bother her father by asking him to watch the kids. It’s hard to believe.”

  “Not for me, I’ve met them. They put their kids first. What’s his history with the victim?”

  “Apparently she hated anyone with dark skin,” he said. “Unless it’s a white person with a tan. She was always trying to get him fired. She even tried to accuse him of rape.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” This was news. Why didn’t Marcella tell me? Or did she know?

  “The case got thrown out. Turns out she set up the whole thing. And during the time she said it happened, he was working at the restaurant and there were plenty of witnesses.”

  So Marcella had to know. Was she trying to protect Jerome by not telling me?

  “Good. Frank?”

  “What?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Can you drop me off at the park? I want to see how things are going. Focus on something else for a while.”

  He smiled at me. “You always were very sensitive.”

  With that he started the car and we headed toward the theme park. My theme park. Mine. That was so cool. I loved that I owned a theme park, no matter how old or run down it was.

  I spent the rest of the day exploring the park and checking on the progress. Everything was going according to plan. New rides were being constructed. Old rides were being refurbished. Stage shows were being planned and rehearsed. Pathways were being added. New uniforms for the employees were being unpacked and hung up in our new wardrobe building. I was getting very excited.

  I felt we would be ok to open in June. Some rides would not be ready yet, and that was ok. It gave people a reason to want to come back. And they would come back. Adventure Universe was as alive as any other universe. It was a living, breathing organism. We would never stop adding to it, changing it, developing it. It would never stop growing. I loved that thought.

  Life was good. I was very glad I came to Florida. I was even more glad that I took a gamble and changed my life.

  Chapter 13: I Got the Golden Shovel

  I felt so good when I woke up the next morning that I called Drew, the realtor and asked to see Adolf’s house again. I wanted one more look and then I wanted to put in an offer. I was so excited at the prospect of having a real home again. In fact I even called Minerva and invited her to go with me. She was delighted. So right after breakfast we set out.

  The Neuspech house, as everyone calls it, looks very much like an old mansion or estate. When you first drive up to the place, there is a large circular driveway. In the middle of the driveway there sits a huge fountain with horses and cherubs in it.

  When Minerva saw this she just said, “Oh, my God. These people really wanted to show off their money. I mean, how dare they show off like this when they were cutting people’s wages and hours.”

  “Well, I think it was really Adolf who made the cuts, not the original family. Apparently his father and grandfather were very generous and giving people.”

  “Still, I mean look at that fountain. And the house is huge. It’s like something out of a movie.”

  “Honey, you ain’t seen nothin' yet,” I said.

  I parked the car and we got out. Drew walked over to greet us. I introduced her to Minerva. She shook hands with each of us and we began our tour. I chose to lead the way this time I wanted Minerva to see things in a certain order.

  First, I walked Minerva around the grounds. I wanted her to see the large outdoor heated pool. (My favorite part.) The tennis courts. The lake. The boat docks. It was all beautiful, but it was obvious that they hadn’t had a gardener in quite some time. Still, all she could say was wow.

  I was waiting for her to see my vision, but she wasn’t there yet. She still looked like she was mad at the Neuspech family. I wanted her to get beyond that or she’d never see what I saw.

  “Let’s go inside,” I said. “It’s absolutely beautiful. You’ll love it.”

  We walked up the huge front staircase and entered the front hall. One of the first things you notice when you come in is the enormous hallway to your left that has a bar that seats four. Why they did that I’ll never know, but I had plans for it.

  “I want to see the kitchen,” Minerva said. She was starting to get excited. Good, maybe she was starting to see it.

  “Yes, I’m saving that for later. Upstairs first,” I said.

  She reluctantly agreed and we walked up the stairs to the second level. On that floor, there were four large bedrooms. Each bedroom had a full bath attached, a walk-in closet, and a private balcony. There were even those old fashioned dumbwaiters in every room. Did this family never eat together? In fact, did they even like each other? I mean you could live here and never pass another soul for days.

  The bedrooms were each decorated differently, but beautifully and expensively. They each had their own character and sense of style. Some even had paintings on the ceiling that reminded me of some hotel ballrooms and old theaters that I’ve seen. They were magnificent, if a little neglected.

  In the hallway there were two powder rooms and several seating areas. This theme repeated on the third and fourth floors. All Minerva could say was “Wow” and “Oh, my”.

  After touring the fourth level we took the elevator down to the first floor. I showed Minerva the large living area, the dining area, the great room, the terrace, the breakfast bay and the open family room with what Drew called a wave-like architectural ceiling. I just called it stunning. French doors in that room led out to the to the pool patio.

  That’s when Minerva turned and looked at me. “Hon, what would you possibly do with all this space?” she said. “I mean, it’s just you, right?”

  I smiled at her. “You don’t see it yet. That’s ok you will. Let’s go look at the kitchen.” I have a plan, Minerva, I’m just waiting for you to catch on, I thought to myself. Maybe you’ll see it now.

  We walked in to the kitchen and Minerva’s mouth dropped open. I actually heard her inhale. This was not just a kitchen; it was a chief’s dream come true. The kitchen had quartzite counters, brushed chrome backsplash, two gas ranges with double electric ovens, a coffee system and steamer, two refrigerators/freezers, an under counter drawer refrigerator and two dishwashers.

  With her mouth hanging open I then showed Minerva the butler’s pantry. It had a wine cooler, ice-maker, several refrigerator drawers, and its own dishwasher.

  “My God, I would love to cook here,” Minerva said.

  I just smiled and waited. She was starting to see it. Just a minute longer.

  “In fact, I could run a restaurant here. I mean, not a diner, a real restaurant.”

  “Bingo,” I said. “That’s exactly what you could do. You could run a restaurant in the hotel we’re going to open. This place is perfect for it.”

  She looked at me, “Misty, you’re a genius.” Then she paused and said, “But where will you live, in one of those rooms. You don’ want to live in a hotel do you?”

  I laughed. “Well, I probably could, but no, I will live somewhere else. We’re going to see that next,” I told her. I w
alked a reluctant Minerva away from the house and we headed down to what was once the Guest House.

  The guest house was much smaller than the main house; it was only three levels high for one thing. The garage was on the main level. It was built to fit six cars and then have lots of room left. On the first floor there was an open living and dining rooms and gourmet kitchen, only one stove, though. There was also a bedroom suite, a powder room, and a laundry room.

  On the second floor, there were three more bedroom suites each with their own bathrooms. Also on the second floor there was a sitting room with morning bar, a small kitchen, a powder room and laundry room.

  “This is still … wow,” was all Minerva had to say.

  “Yeah, imaging living here as a servant. Not too bad,” I said.

  “Not at all,” she said.

  “But, it’s still more like a house than that monstrosity up there,” I said pointing to the main house. “Let’s go inside and take a look.”

  Nothing here was nearly as glamorous as the mansion, but damn close. I thought about Aretha and wondered if she lived in anything like this. I hoped so. The finishes and fixtures were all high end. Just like the main house, however, nothing had been taken care of for a long time. I had been told by Drew that Adolf had been living in the guest house since his wife left him. He obviously stayed in the main floor bedroom and did not venture upstairs. Both floors were dust covered, but this floor had areas that had been wiped clean. Clean that is, if you didn’t count the dirty clothes and dishes that were everywhere.

  “I told Mr. Neuspech that we were coming today,” Drew said. “He should have cleaned up. Sorry about the mess.” She looked a little embarrassed.

  “Not your fault, Drew. And actually it’s to my advantage. It might scare away any other lookers,” I said.

  “Believe me, Misty, no one else is interested. At first there was some commercial interest, but when they saw the condition of the rest of the town and the park, they changed their mind.”

  “Again, to my advantage,” I said. They could not see what I saw.

  We finished our tour of the guest house in the garage. I hadn’t looked at the garage yet, and decided I had better before I put in an offer. The garage was empty except for Adolf’s expensive, but neglected car. It too was dirty inside. There were food packages in the floor and trash everywhere. I felt bad for the poor car.

  Wait, if the car was here, where was Adolf? It seemed odd. Then I remembered that there were several walking paths on the property. He probably went to go take a walk.

  In the garage itself, there were several tarps lying around with different sized lumps under them. I wanted to know what was under them. After all, if there was a dead body or something better to find out now than after I moved in. I started to wander around and pick up the tarps.

  “Misty, don’t do that. There might be rats under there,” Minerva said.

  “If there are, I want to know now, not after I buy it,” I said. Besides, nothing was moving.

  I didn’t find rats, thankfully. I did find tires, gardening equipment, and even old furniture and tools.

  “Nothing but junk,” I said.

  “Good, you can stop now,” Minerva said.

  “I’ve got two more to go. Besides I should look at everything, right Drew?”

  “I am in full agreement, Misty. You should know what you’re getting in to.” She smiled at me. I liked her. She never made me feel pressured to buy the house, even though I was sure that she was anxious to get rid of it.

  I picked up the next tarp. More gardening equipment. Under the last one, even more gardening equipment. How much gardening did these people do? None recently, I could tell you that.

  “Ok, I’m done. I’m happy, let’s go somewhere and talk offer,” I said.

  We all started walking toward the door. Then I froze. One of those tarps had something familiar under it. Something … not good. I wasn’t sure what yet, but I had to go back and look.

  “Misty, is everything ok?” Drew asked. She looked worried. “You didn’t find a dead body did you?”

  “No, not a dead body. I’m not sure what I found,” I said. I turned around and walked back to the tarp. I had to lift it again. I had to know. But the thought of touching that tarp again made my stomach lurch. I closed my eyes, reached out, and pulled the tarp off as fast as I could.

  “Hun, what are you doing?” Minerva asked. “It’s just junk.”

  I opened my eyes and looked down at the pile of stuff. Yep, there was something there. It was the missing golden shovel. And I was pretty sure there was blood on it.

  “Call Chief Campion, I found the murder weapon,” I said.

  I’ve got to give Drew credit. She may have yelled, “Oh, my God!” but she also pulled out her phone right away and called Marlowe. She let him know what happened and he told her that the three of us should wait outside and he would be there soon.

  “No,” I said, “that would leave the evidence exposed and allow someone to take it and hide it again before he gets here. What’s he thinking? I’m waiting in here. I’m keeping an eye on it.”

  “Well, don’t touch anything. I’ll wait outside for the chief,” Drew said. With that she almost ran out the door.

  After Drew left, I looked at Minerva. “Like I would touch anything now. After all those years married to Frank? He’d kill me if I’d touched that shovel. I know better.”

  “Yeah, even I know that. I watch detective shows,” she said as if that made her an expert.

  I smiled at this. “Don’t say things like that to Frank, he hates those shows. He says they don’t show real police procedure.” I imitated his voice as I said that last part. She laughed.

  “Yeah, but isn’t that the point? I mean don’t we watch TV to escape reality? I don’t want it to be real. I have to deal with real life every day. I know more about people than they think I do because they will sit in a restaurant booth and talk about the most personal things because they think no one is listening. No, reality is icky.”

  I thought about the meals we had at the buffet restaurant. She was right. People talk in restaurants, especially crowded ones.

  “Besides, a good weight staff is trained to watch and listen for clues that the customer is ready to order or needs something,” she continued. “They are trained in the art of eavesdropping.”

  “No wonder your people were so good. I never had bad service at your diner.”

  “Yes, I trained them to pay attention. They get bigger tips that way too.”

  “Well, they certainly did from me.”

  The sound of sirens outside ended our conversation. I heard Marlowe talking to Drew outside. I heard him say, “Oh she did, did she.”

  He walked in the door and I said, “Yes, I did. Minerva and I stayed in here to guard the evidence. That way no one could sneak in and take it. Then you wouldn’t have it.”

  He stared at me for a moment. I was wondering if Frank’s talk with him did any good. It didn’t seem like it. It seemed like he still hated me. “Good thinking,” was all he said.

  “That must have hurt,” I said.

  Drew, Minerva and I stepped outside to allow the police to do what they needed to do.

  “So, I guess this solves the case,” Drew said. “It looks like Mr. Neuspech killed his wife and hid the evidence in his garage until he could get rid of it.”

  “It looks that way,” I said. Yes, indeed, it looked that way. Was it supposed to look that way, or did it actually happen that way?

  “I hate to ask, Drew,” I said, “but will this affect my buying the house?”

  “I would imagine that it can’t be sold until the police are done with it. But, I also think Mr. Neuspech will need the money to pay for his defense. From what I know his wife spent most of the family money, he’s broke.”

  I looked up at the main house. “They must have had a lot of money at one time.”

  “I never met her, but I’ve heard stories. She liked to take trips
to Miami, the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and cruises. She owned several fur coats and a couple cars. Well, I guess they both owned the cars, because he sold them when she left.”

  “Are you sure she left?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Drew said.

  “How do you know?” I asked.

  “I talked to people who said they saw her with several suitcases. She took a cab to the airport, no small feat here. Then she flew to Miami. Mr. Neuspech found that much out. “

  “And then?” Minerva said.

  “And then, nobody seems to know. Some thought she was already dead. Some thought she ran off with a man. I vote for the latter.”

  “What man? Did anyone have an idea?” I asked.

  “There were rumors of a real-estate tycoon. Oh, but some people said she ran off with the family lawyer, George.”

  “George?”I said. He doesn’t strike me as her type. Not at all.

  “But he’s still here,” I said.

  “Yes, but he left for Miami on the same plane. He has a condo there, a very expensive condo. But then he came back a week later. However, after that he went to Miami almost every weekend. Claimed his mother was sick.”

  “Was she?” Minerva asked.

  “I don’t know. I never asked and he never told me,” Drew said. “I helped him sell his house here and he moved in to an apartment, but we weren’t exactly friends. In fact he gives me the creeps.”

  Just then Marlowe came out of the garage. One of his officers was carrying the shovel in a garbage bag. I guess there wasn’t an evidence bag large enough.

  Marlowe pointed at me, “Did you touch the shovel?”

  “Ew, no. I touched the tarp. I’m not that stupid. And, by the way, I’m looking to buy this place, so my fingerprints are probably everywhere. I’ve touched almost every surface in this house.”

  “So, you’re going to use Frank’s money to buy this eyesore,” Marlowe said.

  Drew and Minerva looked at him with open mouths. Ok, I wasn’t the only one who was offended by that statement.