Part 28 (2/2)
I heard the slot machine again. ”Can you hear it?”
”That's not a slot machine. It's Vinney's cell phone. Mad, he's here.” She dialed again, and in view of my father-I even waved to him-we followed the sound to the first scarecrow in the last row, a crudely painted leather skeleton-like the one worn by Lolique the night she broke into my shop?-from which the sound of slot machines burst forth.
”This one wasn't here before,” I said. ”People started setting up here.” With a sick feeling, I put my gloves back on to raise the skeleton mask . . . and saw vacant, staring eyes.
”Vinney!” Eve gasped.
”Don't faint,” I said.
Forty.
Fas.h.i.+on must be the intoxicating release from the ba.n.a.lity of the world.
-DIANA VREELAND Still wearing my gloves, I touched the scarecrow's bare hand, stiff and unbending, and if I hadn't been sure before, I knew now. ”It's too late to call an ambulance,” I whispered.
Eve just stared at me while more scarecrows were taken away and people chatted a few feet away from us. Just as well that she was speechless, under the circ.u.mstances. I took her hand and led her back toward the family. Without a word, we sat on the steps.
Sherry frowned. ”What's up with you two?”
”One of the scarecrows-”
I touched Eve's hand. ”Sherry, how's your tummy, sweetie?”
”It's great now that it's full of pizza.”
”Justin, maybe you should take her home.”
”What? Has something bad happened? I want to know. I can take it. Finish the sentence, 'one of the scarecrows...' ”
Eve swallowed. ”Has a dead body in it. Vinney Carnevale's body.”
Sherry gasped and Justin wrapped a protective arm around her.
I wished I hadn't left Chakra home, because I could use her calming presence, right now. But I'd been afraid she'd be frightened or get stepped on with so many people around. ”I don't think any of us should panic right now, especially with so many neighbors nearby.”
”I'll go make sure that we don't need to call 911,” my father said, and I didn't bother to argue.
The leather skeleton outfit had not been baggy on Vinney's robust build. It had to be the same leather skeleton jumpsuit.
”Let's wait to call Werner until after the other scarecrows are gone,” I suggested.
My father heard me as he came back, shaking his head. ”A few minutes won't matter to Vinney.”
I covered my face with my hands. ”I really don't want any more crime scene tape around my shop.”
”A man is dead,” Eve said. ”And you're worried about crime scene tape?”
”The man who nearly strangled me. Who you nearly killed with the heel on your shoe to save my life. Ten minutes ago, his phone message freaked the h.e.l.l out of you.”
”You nearly lost your life?” my father said. ”I dearly hope you're exaggerating.”
”I am, Dad.” Not.
He looked like he didn't believe me. ”We need to s.h.i.+eld the last of our neighbors from the grisly sight,” he said. ”It would be too easy, as the scarecrows thin out, for someone to go and check out the skeleton.” My father got up. ”Let's move the last of them closer to the curb.”
Eve and I sat frozen as dad and Justin went to separate the scarecrows from the murder victim. Sherry and Aunt Fiona weren't saying much, either. Two more cars and a van arrived. Dad and Justin helped them load up.
My father came back. ”The last of the real scarecrows are on their way.”
”Justin, I think you should take Sherry home, now, because I have to call Werner.”
Sherry stood. ”Please, yes.” They left as I dialed the police station and asked for Werner.
”Lytton,” I said, when he came on the line, ”can you come quietly back to Vintage Magic. No sirens?”
Werner sighed. ”What now, Madeira?”
”I can see why our night watchman got the feeling he was annoying you with his calls.”
”Low blow.”
”Well, try not to place blame before you hear the facts. Somebody stuck an unentered scarecrow in the back row . . . in plain sight of all of us, even you. It's Vinney Carnevale in a skeleton costume. He's dead.”
It didn't take Werner five minutes, no sirens. Eventually, however, the ambulance, police cars, and coroner's car sure attracted attention.
I put my hand on Werner's arm. ”Please, no more crime scene tape.”
”No need to cordon it off,” he said. ”There were at least a hundred people here, today. Any stray evidence has been trampled. What happened? n.o.body took him home, so you checked him out?”
His cell phone rang.
Eve raised her open phone to show that she'd called him. ”He'd left me a cryptic voice mail message so we called him back. That's when we heard what you're hearing.”
Werner listened to her call, pointed to her phone, and it got scooped into an evidence bag.
”Hey! I need that.”
Werner denied her request with a shake of his head. ”You'll get it back as soon as we a.n.a.lyze the message.” He looked at his men. ”The skeleton's got a phone on him. What are you waiting for? Find it.” He signaled for the men with the coroner's stretcher to wait, but his team searched without luck.
”Ms. Meyers,” Werner said, ”don't open the evidence bag but use your phone to call him again.”
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