Free Fall

45

Ceepak lets me drive the Batmobile so he can make a quick call to Bill Botzong.

There’s nothing new to report on the cyanide front, but “they’re making progress” and have initiated contact with all the major suppliers.

“They’re focusing on those merchants with Internet sales sites,” Ceepak tells me. “Most likely that is where our killer made his or her purchase, hoping for a measure of anonymity.”

He’s right. People think they can erase their on-line tracks by clearing their computer’s web browser memory.

They can’t.

There’s always a nice trail of cookies for us to follow.

Monae offers us a cold Coke and a whole tube of Oreos.

“I’m rich,” she says. “Don’t have to drink that cheap Sam’s Cola from Wal-Mart anymore-or their Great Value ‘Twist And Shout’ sandwich cookies. Can you believe Arnie left me fifty thousand dollars? From now on, boys, it’s Coca-Cola and Double Stuff Oreos for Monae Dunn.”

“That pretty awesome,” I say. “But some people might think Dr. Rosen’s generous bequest gave you a motive to murder him.”

“Well, those people might also be stupid. You add up everything Michael has given me and my sister over the past year, fifty thousand dollars is what Dr. Rosen used to call bupkis. Chump change.”

“Indeed,” says Ceepak since I just set him up with a lob shot. “Why was Michael so generous to you and your sister Revae? Especially this last year?”

Monae gives us a sassy smile. “Because we’re good people.”

“Seriously,” I say. “Why did he give you and your sister such cool cars?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because we were nice to his father. See, Michael’s all the way out there in L.A. It made him feel good to know that somebody with half a heart was looking after his dad.”

Ceepak leans in. “What do you mean?”

“His daughter-in-law. Judy. She was all kinds of mean and nasty to that old man, even after he gave her and her husband everything. Liposuction. Tummy tucks.”

“For David?” I say.

“Nuh-unh. David got guitar lessons. Can you believe that? He’s fifty-six years old and still thinks he’s going to be a rock star. Dr. Rosen kept giving him hundreds and hundreds of dollars so David could learn how to play ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ out of tune.”

“You say Judith was ‘mean and nasty’ to him?” says Ceepak.

“Not in front of people like you or, you know, rich people. When she’s with folks like that, Judy acts all nicey-nicey. But when there’s nobody around for her to impress? Well, I heard all the horrible things she said to Dr. Rosen, especially when she’d been drinking.”

“How do you mean?”

“I worked nights, Detective Ceepak. Evil people like Judith Rosen, night is when their darkest demons come out-especially if they’ve had a couple glasses of that Pinot Grigio.”

“She said these ‘horrible’ things, even though you were there to witness the conversations?”

“Uhm-hmm. You ever see that movie The Help?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, Judy and her big tuckus would fit right in down there in Mississippi; playing bridge and nibbling egg salad sandwiches with all those rich white ladies. A person like Judy, she sees a black woman in a uniform, she thinks we’re invisible.”

“So what exactly did you hear?”

“Things no civilized person should ever say, especially not to a ninety-four-year-old man lying in his sick bed. She’d come by the beach house nine or ten o’clock at night, before her husband came home from his office …”

Ceepak looks surprised. “David Rosen typically worked past ten o’clock at night? At Sinclair Enterprises?”

Monae shoots Ceepak a knowing look. “Um-hmm. Would you hurry home to a nasty piece of work like that?”

“What’d she say?” I ask, so Ceepak doesn’t have to field the “nasty piece of work” question.

“‘Why don’t you do us all a favor and die?’”

“Judith said that?” says Ceepak. “To Dr. Rosen?”

“Several times. Then, after you people helped Christine beat that restraining order, embarrassed her sister in court? Man, oh, man. Judith tore into poor old Arnie that night something fierce. Wish I’d recorded it. Maybe you two could’ve arrested her for elder abuse.”

“What happened?”

“She came over to Dr. Rosen’s house, her breath stinking like she’d been gargling with her Pinot Grigio. I’m right there. Kind of hanging back in the shadows. I was so afraid of what that crazy woman might do, I started wondering what I could grab-a vase or a statue or a fireplace tool. Something to knock her silly if she tried to strangle Dr. Rosen right there in his hospital bed.”

“And what did Judith say?” asks Ceepak.

“‘How dare you let that little tramp treat my sister like that,’ she says. ‘You embarrassed her. You embarrassed me! I’m done, I’m done, I’m done with you.’ She kept saying she was done but, believe you me, she was just warming up. ‘You will never, ever see your grandson again-your one and only grandson-not as long as you have that, that, creature living under your roof.’”

“She, of course, meant Christine?” says Ceepak, who is furiously taking notes.

“That’s right. Dr. Rosen says, ‘What would you have me do, Judith? Toss the poor girl out into the streets? She has nowhere else to go.’ Judy says, ‘Fine. You make your choices, choices have consequences.’ She was really slurring her words when she said that. ‘I am so effing pissed off at you right now, I’ll probably have a stroke. I’ll probably die before you do.’”

“How did Dr. Rosen react?”

“He never even raised his voice. He says, ‘Oh, I hope not, darling.’Judith just keeps on ranting at him. ‘My death will pre-decease yours,’ she says. ‘You have ruined my effing life.’ Judy likes to use the F-word a lot when she’s been drinking. ‘We’re done,’ she screams for the millionth time. Then she stomps toward the front door, shouting, ‘I hope you’re happy, Christine, wherever the hell you’re hiding! You ruined my sister’s life! You ruined mine. You’ll get yours!’”

“You heard all this?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Christine?”

“She was locked in her room. But I’m sure she heard most of it. That Judy gets loud when she gets drunk.”

Monae shakes her head.

“I sure wouldn’t want to be her husband when he got home that night. Can you imagine what she said to him?”