“Of course.”
Again Rina bit her nail. “What is it, Peter? Do you think I might have interrupted a robbery?”
“Possibly. Someone heard you yelling over the gate, bolted out the front door, and didn’t lock it.”
“I didn’t see anyone.”
“That doesn’t mean there wasn’t anyone. Did you happen to hear a car take off?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. Was the door jimmied open?”
“I didn’t find any obvious pry marks, and the lock was a dead-bolt. I think if someone was inside the house, he or she got in with a key.”
“Or Cecily could have let them in.”
“Of course. Maybe I’m on the wrong track totally. Still, I’d like to find out who had a key to her house.”
“I’m sure her daughters do.” Rina made a face. “I can’t believe they’d hurt her. And didn’t the coroner’s investigator say it looked like natural causes?”
“Sure, it could have been a heart attack. But what if the heart attack was brought on by a bad argument? What if she didn’t fall to the ground but was pushed? We have an unlocked door, a locked gate, and a drawer that’s askew in an otherwise compulsively neat bedroom. I’ve been a cop too long not to ask certain questions, and my first one is who has a key to her house.” Decker looked at the garden gate. Two distraught women had corraled Gloria, the coroner’s investigator. They spoke to her while waving their arms frantically. Decker put his arm around his wife. “Go on home, honey. We’ll talk later. Right now it’s time to meet the next of kin.”
“This is dreadful!” Meredith sniffed back tears. “Just terrible.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Dr. Goldberg, the cardiologist, told Cecily’s daughters. He had shown up five minutes after the daughters. He was in his sixties, a short, slight man with long tapered fingers. “I’ve handled many patients in my years. Your mother had a wonderful spirit. I think it was her attitude that helped her last this long.” He turned to Decker. “She’d had two prior heart attacks.”
Edwina blotted her wet eyes with a tissue. Her gaze went from the doctor to Decker. “She gardened because she could no longer rock climb or go white-water rafting.”
“Ah,” Decker said. He observed the sisters, noting that though there was a strong familial resemblance-both women had oval faces and hazel eyes-they were nothing alike. Edwina, who drove a new 450SL Mercedes, was precise and meticulous in her appearance: dark business suit and heels, clipped and styled blond hair, long manicured nails. Meredith wore a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Her hair was shoulder-length, brunette streaked with gray. She drove an ancient Dodge Dart. They were in their forties, not more than a couple of years apart. “Your mother was very active in the past?”
“Until her first heart attack,” Edwina said.
Goldberg said, “The second one came a year later. That was ten years ago. We stabilized her, but at her age…”
Everyone nodded solemnly.
“Mom was one of a kind. She did exactly what she wanted to do and always encouraged us to do the same.”
“She certainly had a love of beauty,” Decker answered. “This place is paradise.”
“Mom’s version of paradise.” Edwina smiled. “I live in a townhouse overlooking the ocean. No grass, no yard, just a terrace with a couple of potted cacti and a stunning view of the waves. That’s my version of paradise.”
“That’s pretty great also,” Decker said.
“If there’s anything else I can do for anyone, don’t hesitate to call me,” Dr. Goldberg said. “I must be getting back. I have patients waiting for me.”
Edwina’s smile was brief. “She spoke very fondly of you, Doctor. Thank you for everything.”
“It was a pleasure being her doctor. Again, my condolences.”
“Thank you,” Edwina answered.
A forlorn Meredith watched while the men from the funeral home loaded her mother into a van. She shook her head as tears leaked from her eyes. “I can’t believe she’s gone!”
“She was old, Merry,” Edwina said. “It wasn’t unexpected.”
“It’s still a shock, Ed! She wasn’t hospitalized or anything like that.”
“I should start making arrangements.”
“What do you mean by ‘I,’ sis?”
“ ‘We,’ then. We need to start making arrangements. I suppose the smartest thing to do would be to contact Mom’s lawyer.”
Meredith said, “Mr. Mortimer?”
“Yes, Mr. Mortimer. I’m sure Mom had specific instructions. I know she had a will.” Edwina handed Decker a business card. “My phone number, if you should need to reach me.”
“Why would he need to reach you?” Meredith asked.
“It’s a formality, Merry.”
“Actually, I do have a few questions, if you don’t mind,” Decker said. “For both of you.”
“What kind of questions?” Meredith asked.
Edwina checked her watch. “How long?”
“Not too long,” Decker said. “Who, besides yourselves, has a key to the house?”
“What do you mean?” asked Meredith.
Edwina glanced at her sister. “Why do you ask?”
“Just trying to button down a few details. Anyone other than you two have a key to the house?”
“No.” Meredith looked at her sister. “Right?”
“The gardener,” Edwina answered.
“He does?” Meredith’s eyes went wide. “Thanks for clueing me in.”
“Mom gave it to him, Merry. I wasn’t consulted.”
“You didn’t approve?” Decker asked.
“I just thought it was weird, but Mom was insistent. She claimed he was here more than either of us.” Edwina turned to Decker. “Why are you so interested in keys?”
“The front door was unlocked when my wife came over. Do you know if your mother had anything valuable stashed-”
“Oh, dear!” Meredith shrieked. She bolted toward the house.
Decker ran after her. “Hold on, hold on!” He caught up with her at the bedroom. “Don’t touch anything! This could be a crime scene!”
Meredith folded her arms across her chest. “Mom kept cash in one of her dresser drawers. I want to see if it’s still there!”
Edwina caught up with them. Anxiously, she asked, “Is it there?”
“I don’t know. He stopped me from checking.”
“Okay…” Decker took out several pairs of latex gloves and handed them to the ladies. “Carefully show me where your mother kept the cash. Please be neat about it.”
Edwina slipped on the gloves and went right to the sweater drawer. She opened it with a tug. Meticulously, she rooted through the contents, picking up a stack of folded sweaters and sliding her hand to the back. Her face paled as she shook her head. “It’s not here!”
“What do you mean it’s not here? Where else could it be?” Meredith bent down, about to check the drawer herself, but Decker stopped her.
“Can I look for the both of you?” he asked. “If a burglary took place, I’d like to prevent any contamination of evidence.”
“Yes, yes! Hurry up!” Meredith scolded.
“You two watch me.” He went through the sweater drawer. There was nothing inside it but clothing. “Is there any other place she could have put the money?”
“She’s always kept money there!” Meredith said. “That was her hiding place!”
Edwina chimed in, “Dammit, I kept telling her to put it in investments! Something that would grow. Mom could be so stubborn sometimes.”
“All the time!” Meredith was crying now. “I was counting on that money to pay off some loans!” She quickly gasped. “Not that I was thinking about my mother’s death to get money!”
Decker nodded but filed her words in his memory bank.
“I know what you’re saying,” Edwina said. “Losing all that cash is a complete and utter waste!”
“Exactly!” Meredith blew her nose. “Exactly.”
“I’m going to check the other drawers now,” Decker said. “Watch me, all right?” Twenty minutes of careful searching proved fruitless. He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and shook his head. “How much cash are we talking about?”