Part 23 (1/2)

There was a television set in the room, but it wasn't on, and the screen was half obscured by the junk piled high on a chair in front of it. And some of the newspapers scattered about were old enough to be turning yellow. I realized suddenly that Tom Landreth probably had no inkling that Wink Winkler was dead. It was possible he didn't even know about Elvira.

”You know they're dead, then, don't you?” I asked.

”Who's dead?” he asked. ”I thought we were talking about Madeline. Of course I know she's dead.”

”What about Elvira?”

”Elvira's fine.”

”And Wink?”

”He's fine, too.” Tom paused and frowned at me. ”As far as I know. He is fine, isn't he?”

”Mr. Landreth,” Mel said sympathetically. ”I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Elvira Marchbank died in her home a short time after speaking to you on the phone on Wednesday. Not long after that, Mr. Winkler committed suicide.”

”No!” Tom exclaimed. ”That can't be right. Raelene would have said something. She would have told me.”

”What time does your wife come home?” Mel asked.

Tom looked at his watch and then shrugged. ”Late,” he said.

”But you don't know what time?”

”It depends.” He was wavering now-covering. Given the state of her home and husband, it seemed likely Raelene Landreth didn't come home anymore at all.

”We'd like to speak to her again,” Mel said kindly. ”It would help to clear up a few things. If you think she'll be here soon, we could just wait until she arrives.”

”No,” Tom said. ”That's not a good idea. Wait a minute. What day is it?”

”Day?” Mel asked.

”What day of the week?”

”Friday,” Mel replied. ”Why?”

”Friday is when she has her hair and nails done,” Tom declared, as if proud to be able to dredge up this little item of domestic trivia. ”Three o'clock,” he added.”Gene Juarez, downtown.” He squinted at his watch-a Rolex. ”If you hurry,” he said, ”you might be able to catch her there.”

I stood up. ”We'll be going then, Mr. Landreth.” He started to lurch to his feet. ”Don't bother,” I told him. ”We can find our way out.”

As we walked back to the car, something nagged at me, something Raelene had said. Back in the Taurus, I opened my notebook and scanned through it. And there it was. Raelene had told me about going for her ”regular mani-pedi” after work. I glanced over at Mel, noticing for the first time that her nails gleamed with scarlet polish.

”What?” she asked when she caught me staring at her.

”If someone had a manicure and pedicure on Wednesday, would they need another one on Friday?” I asked.

”I wouldn't,” Mel responded.

”Raelene Landreth told me she left work on Wednesday, the day Elvira died, and went to have her regular mani-pedi, as she put it. So either poor old Tom is out of the loop when it comes to Raelene's schedule or she was lying through her teeth about what she did that day.”

Raelene pulled out her phone. ”I have an idea,” she said. ”Why don't I call down to Gene Juarez and ask them?”

”Good idea.”

Mel was smooth as gla.s.s. Claiming to be an old chum, Mel confirmed that Raelene was finished with her pedicure and was having her manicure. ”No,” Mel said, ”don't bother giving her a message. I want this to be a surprise.” Turning off her phone, Mel looked at me. ”So chances are she did lie about Wednesday. Are we going to go talk to her or not?”

”I thought I was taking you back to your car.”

”Don't be silly,” she said. ”We're almost to the 520 Bridge. If we leave from here right now, maybe we can catch her.”

The Landreth house was just off Eighty-fourth and close to the bridge. From there I knew it couldn't be more than fifteen miles to downtown Seattle, but it was a rainy Friday afternoon with a Sonics game scheduled at KeyArena. In other words, traffic was a mess. As we worked our way toward the freeway entrance, Mel was silent for some time.

”How come he could remember the phone call but didn't know Elvira and Wink were dead?” Mel asked. ”Or was he lying about that?”

”I don't think he was lying,” I said. ”I think what Elvira told him pushed the man so far over the edge that he drank himself into a stupor. I know from the Seattle PD reports that the officers who came to the Landreth house that evening stated that they spoke to both Raelene and Tom.”

”They remember, but he doesn't?” Mel asked.

”Blackout, maybe?” I suggested.

”Oh,” Mel said, nodding. ”Of course.”

That was all she said, but I read in her acknowledgment that she and I both knew what we were talking about.

”Will Tom Landreth remember our talking to him today?”

”Considering how much scotch he was stowing away, he may not.”

”So why would Raelene Landreth stay with such a loser?” Mel asked. ”When you first told me about Raelene Landreth, it sounded like she had something on the ball. Now I'm not so sure.”

”Raelene told me Tom and Elvira were close,” I explained. ”That Tom was like a son to her. It's possible that if Raelene had booted Tom out of the house, Elvira might have sent her packing from her job at the foundation. That would have left Raelene with no husband-however lame-no job, and no status in the community.”

”Just like someone else I know,” Mel muttered. I wondered what she meant, but before I could ask she continued. ”Were Tom and Elvira close enough that he might be a beneficiary under her will?”

”I don't know,” I said.

”If he is, and as long as they're still married, then Raelene benefits as well. So we'll need to check that.”

”We?” I asked.

”You did ask me along, didn't you?” she demanded.

”Well, yes, but...”

”No buts,” she said. ”You may be allergic to having a partner, but I'm here and I'm not a silent partner, so get used to it.”

”Yes, ma'am,” I said. And then we both laughed.