The Death Card: A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Read online

  “No. I didn’t know about it. I don’t think I’ve ever met his deputy, and I haven’t seen Chief Williams for several weeks. Chief Williams was definitely not here on Sunday. That is the one day I rest. I don’t do any readings. I am a Roma, you may know us by the name of gypsies although we don’t like that word, and I follow the ancient way of goddess worship. Sunday is the day I do that. No, I did not see Seth on Sunday, and as far as the other man, Leroy Moore, I don’t know him. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

  “Thank you. I must be mistaken. By the way, while I was waiting for you in the reception area, I had to use the restroom, and I ran into a man in the hallway when I came out. He looked a lot like you. Is he your brother?”

  “Yes, Anton has a room here, although he spends most of his time in San Francisco. He is a waiter at one of the most expensive restaurants in San Francisco, and he works so late he often stays with a friend. My mother asked me to take care of him, and I try to as best I can.”

  “The man I told you about during our session lives in San Francisco. What is the name of the restaurant where your brother works? I’ll bet Roger’s been there.”

  “I’m not sure. I think it is called Le Petite Orangerie. He told me it’s very hard to get hired there, and he was very happy when they offered him the job. Anton has worked in Paris at some of the top restaurants. He’s a very good waiter.”

  “I’ll ask Roger if he’s ever been there. Here’s the money for the reading. Thank you very much. I feel much better about the future. Winston, come,” she said to the big dog sleeping at her feet.

  “I will look for the Death card, and when I find it I will show it to you the next time you’re here.”

  “Thank you. Good evening.” She and Winston walked out the door.

  I can’t wait to get home and see if the Death card I found in Leroy’s office has her initials on it. Considering how Seth butchered the evidence in the high school computer hacking case, my instincts were right to keep the card. If her initials are on it, it doesn’t mean she was the one who murdered Leroy, but it certainly would be suspicious. Given her past, she must not want to get involved in a police investigation. I can’t think of any other reason why she would deny that Seth had been to her home on Sunday. I don’t think Seth’s a very good policeman, but I’ve never known him to lie, and he was very clear that he had a reading from her on Sunday. Think I’ll call him and make sure that’s what he said, although I’m pretty certain about it.

  She pulled the van up in front of the lodge and saw the spa guests sitting at the long cedar table inside, laughing and enjoying themselves. Candlelight spilled through the front windows, and she could see Emily carrying plates to the kitchen to be washed by Sara. She and Winston walked in the front door of the lodge.

  “Greetings, everyone. If we haven’t met before, I’m Liz Lucas, the owner of the Red Cedar Spa and Lodge. I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier, but I know you’ve been well taken care of by Emily.” She turned to Emily. “Why don’t you leave? You’ve been here long enough. I’ll serve everyone dessert. Thank you so much for covering for me.”

  An hour later, after the last guest had left and she’d helped Sara, the young woman she’d hired to clean up the dishes after the nightly dinners, she and Winston went downstairs to her private living quarters.

  “Winston, I need to talk to Roger and Seth, but first I have to see if there are any markings on that Death card I put in my desk for safekeeping. I’ve been anxious to look at it ever since I was at Madame Dika’s.”

  Liz had brought a package of latex gloves with her from the pantry upstairs, and she slipped on a pair. She took the Death card out of the drawer and looked in the upper left hand corner. Sure enough, the initials “MD” were faint but visible. Liz sat for a moment, deep in thought. She knew it wasn’t the smoking gun, but it was close, and it certainly made Madame Dika a prime suspect in the case.

  She put the card back in her desk and took her cell phone out of her purse, clicking on photos. She compared the numbers on the gun in the photograph with the serial numbers that Seth had given her over the phone. They were an exact match.

  That means the gun is Seth’s. He told me it was stolen while he was at Madame Dika’s. Anton must have stolen the gun from Seth’s car while he was having a reading. I can’t think of any other reason why Seth’s gun would be in Anton’s nightstand. I don’t see Seth walking into Anton’s bedroom and putting the gun in the nightstand. That wouldn’t make any sense at all.

  After looking at the photos, she used the cell phone to call Seth. “Seth, it’s Liz. I’m sorry to call so late, but I had a reading from Madame Dika today. I mentioned that you had referred me to her, and that you had been to see her on Sunday. She said she never saw clients on Sundays and you must have been mistaken. She said she hadn’t seen you for several weeks. Are you certain you saw her last Sunday?”

  “Liz, ya’ know I wouldn’t lie to ya’. Yer’ darn tootin’ I was out at her place on Sunday, and here’s somethin’ else you oughta’ know. I got a funny call at the station this afternoon. Some dude called and said he’d read about Leroy’s death in the newspaper. Asked what time Leroy’d been murdered, that the paper hadn’t indicated the time. I ‘tol him it was late afternoon, didn’t have the exact time in front of me. He ‘tol me he was drivin’ by the station about that time and he’d seen a gypsy woman walkin’ into the station. He thought that was purty strange and wanted me to know about it. What do you make of it?”

  She was quiet as she thought about what it implied. She wasn’t ready to tell Seth what she had discovered about the Death card.

  “Seth, I don’t know other than it sounds like she doesn’t want to be involved. I know you told Roger she was your alibi, but that alibi doesn’t look very good now. You don’t think she was the murderer, do you?”

  “Don’t know what to think. I trusted her, but if she’s lyin’ ‘bout my readin’ and then some dude sees her walkin’ into the station, and we know Leroy was murdered in the station about that time, don’t sound good fer her.”

  “Seth, it’s still early in the investigation, and we really don’t have any solid evidence, but I sure wish you had an alibi that somebody could corroborate.”

  “Sweet lady, if it’s any consolation to ya’, I do too.”

  “I’ve got to go, Seth. Go to bed and get some sleep. I believe you when you say you weren’t responsible for Leroy’s death. I just need to find some way to prove it, and I will. Try not to worry.”

  “Yeah, easy fer ya’ to say. Ain’t yer’ life on the line.”

  “I know Seth, but have some faith in me.”

  “Okay, ain’t got nothin’ else goin’ fer me right now.”

  CHAPTER 18

  “Roger, I’m sorry to bother you so late at night, but I’m really troubled by some things I discovered today.”

  “Liz, how many times do I have to tell you that you’re never a bother to me? I love it when you call. The only thing I care about when you call me this late is that you’re okay. Are you?”

  “Yes. I’m fine, but there are a couple of things I can’t seem to reconcile. I went to Madame Dika’s for a reading earlier this evening…”

  He interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “Liz, you might remember that Madame Dika did prison time. What part of staying away from a convicted felon do you not understand? She broke the law once, and who knows what she might do again? You were there yesterday and had a reading. Why did you go back today?”

  “I feel she’s at the center of Leroy’s death. I don’t know whether she did it or not, but I want your opinion on a couple of things. First of all, I bumped into her brother, Anton, when I was there. He’s the one whose picture you emailed me.”

  “Where was he?”

  Liz told him about how she’d almost run into Anton in the hallway when she’d left the bathroom. Roger listened and then said, “That’s another reason I don’t want you to go there. Sean told me there was
talk he was dirty, but the authorities hadn’t been able to come up with anything definite on him. Sounds like a pretty unsavory family to me.”

  “Yeah, well, Roger, if you didn’t like that, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you. While I was waiting in the reception area for my appointment with Madame Dika, I snuck into Anton’s bedroom before he drove up. I opened the nightstand drawer that Jessica had said the gun was in. Using my cell phone, I took a photo of the serial numbers on the gun, and a few minutes ago I compared those numbers with the numbers Seth gave me this morning. The numbers on the gun in the drawer, and the numbers that are on Seth’s gun are the same.”

  “Liz, that very well could be the gun that killed Leroy.”

  “I know. There are a couple of other things.” She stopped talking for a moment and took a deep breath to get her courage up so she could continue. “First of all, when I opened the drawer it came out pretty far, and I saw a small notebook behind the gun. I took a Kleenex from my purse and picked it up because I was curious. I know some people keep a notebook next to their bed so they can write down their dreams or thoughts. I wondered if he was someone who did that. Instead what I found were pages and pages of numbers. On each line in the notebook were sixteen numbers, a space, and then three more numbers. I was scared and not thinking very rationally, but the bottom line is I put the notebook in my purse. I also took a photo of some kind of a small electronic device that was in the drawer.”

  “You did what? I don’t believe you did that! What if he’d caught you? I agree. You definitely weren’t thinking rationally. Was Winston with you?”

  “Yes. He went over to the window and started growling, and then I heard a car pulling into the driveway. I looked out the window and recognized Anton.”

  “Liz, I don’t want to even think what he might have done to you if he’d found you in his bedroom with the nightstand drawer open.”

  “You’re not the only one, Roger, but there’s something else I want to tell you.”

  “Why am I not surprised? Okay, tell me all of it and know that my blood pressure is rising with each word.”

  “Roger, it wasn’t that bad.”

  “Let me be the judge of that, Liz. I’m not sure you’re capable of realizing the amount of danger you exposed yourself to. Okay, out with it.”

  She told him how Madame Dika was missing the Death card from her deck, and it was identifiable with the initials “MD.”

  “Liz, didn’t you tell me when you and Seth went to the police station that you searched Leroy’s office, and you found a Death card?”

  “Yes. That’s what I’m telling you. The missing Death card from Madame Dika’s deck has to be the one I found in Leroy’s office.”

  “I agree that it would be quite a coincidence if it wasn’t from her deck, but how can you be certain?”

  “She told me she used a special tarot deck for Celtic Cross spreads, which is what I had. It’s kind of a reading where it tells you about your past, your present, and what you can expect in the future.”

  “Liz, spare me the details of the reading, and just tell me how you know the card you found came from her deck.”

  “I was getting to that. She told me it was her great-grandmother’s deck and her name was Madame Dika. She said she had been named for her and that the initials on each card had been put there by her great-grandmother. When I got home tonight, I looked at the Death card I’d put in my desk after I’d found it in Leroy’s office and the initials MD were on it. I didn’t give it to Sheriff Brown. It has to be the Death card missing from Madame Dika’s deck.”

  For a moment Roger was quiet. “You realize you should have given that card to the sheriff. Not only are you in danger, but now you’re telling me you deliberately withheld evidence that could be crucial to the investigation. Liz, do me a favor. Try not to do anything about this case tomorrow. I’ll cancel my appointments for tomorrow afternoon, and I should be at the lodge between one and two in the afternoon. Can you do that for me? It really would help me lower my escalating blood pressure.”

  “Roger, after what happened to Joe, my deceased husband, I’m not finding this conversation all that funny.”

  “You’re absolutely right. I was trying to be humorous, and instead I came off as very insensitive. I forgot your husband died of a heart attack probably caused by sky high blood pressure. I apologize.”

  “Roger, I’m sorry I was testy. It’s just that there’s so much going on right now. All right, I promise I won’t do anything actively, but I think I told you that Lisette is going to give Leroy’s ex-wife a massage tomorrow morning, so I may have some more information for you when you get here.”

  “Liz, you said you took photos of the gun’s serial numbers and the electronic device. I’d like you to take a photo with your cell phone of a couple of the pages of the numbers in the notebook and also the Death card, then email me those plus the photos of the serial numbers and the electronic device.”

  “Sure. I’ll send them in the next few minutes. Why do you want them? I can show them to you tomorrow when you get here.”

  “Some ideas about this whole thing are floating around in my head. I want to talk to a friend of mine who’s a captain with the San Francisco Police Department. If what I’m thinking is true, this case might just be a lot bigger than either one of us or even the sheriff thought. And if Madame Dika and Anton start comparing notes, you might find yourself at the top of a list of people they want eliminated. Lock all of the doors in the lodge tonight and keep Winston with you.

  “You do remember what happened with the Brandy Boy incident when you walked onto the front porch of the lodge and left Winston and your gun in the lodge. Please don’t do anything like that. If he’s not with you, he can’t protect you, and your gun is useless if it’s not with you. Just humor me and promise. Please?”

  “I promise, but I think you’re being a little melodramatic about all this.”

  “Liz, you may have forgotten what I do for a living. It’s called being a criminal defense attorney. I am well aware what criminals are capable of doing and what motivates them to do it. I don’t want you to end up being a statistic. Am I making myself clear?”

  “Very much so, and the message has been received. I love you and can’t wait to see you.”

  “Love you too. Sleep well.”

  CHAPTER 19

  The next morning Liz had heard the front door of the lodge close several times, and she knew that the guests had probably finished breakfast and gone back to their cottages, getting ready for their massages, facials, or other treatments. Some of them would be getting ready to go back to wherever they called home, refreshed from their stay at the Red Cedar Spa.

  “Come on, Winston. Let’s go upstairs and see Bertha.” The big dog walked over to her, sat down beside her, and licked her hand. Liz knew that was his way of telling her he’d love to chew on one of the marrow bones she kept in the refrigerator for him. When Roger had arranged for her to have a guard dog, the man who had trained Winston and delivered him to her told her he always kept marrow bones on hand, so his dogs could chew on something that helped keep their teeth plaque free. He told her the best way to do this was to brush the dog’s teeth twice a day, but he found that took too much time when you had as many dogs as he had, and he’d become a big believer in giving his dogs marrow bones. Liz didn’t know if it helped Winston’s teeth, but he’d never had any dental problems, and he clearly loved the bones.

  “Okay, Winston, this morning you get a bone. I know how much you love them,” she said as they walked up the stairs to the kitchen. “Morning, Bertha. Be with you in a minute, but I have a very good dog here who would like one of the special bones I keep for him in the refrigerator.”

  “As good as that dog is, he deserves a whole sack full of them. I always feel better when I leave here for the night knowing he’s with you.”

  “You’re not the only one. Roger insists I take him with me wherever I go, a
nd honestly, I have to say I do feel safer when he’s around. Is there anything new going on at the spa or here at the lodge that I should know about?”

  “No, nothing comes to mind. Do you want a cup of coffee? I made a fresh pot thinking the guests would want seconds or thirds, but nobody seemed to want any more this morning.”

  “Please.”

  “Liz, I was talking to my husband last night about Leroy’s murder. He and Leroy went to school together, and they go way back. Their parents were friends as well. I’d forgotten that he knew Leroy, and that most people would consider them to be good friends. Anyway, Hank told me something interesting. The two of them met from time to time at Gertie’s Diner for lunch. Last Saturday they met for lunch and Leroy was all excited. He told Hank he was going to get the goods on Seth and run against him in the police chief election,” Bertha said.

  “That’s kind of what Seth told me. He said Leroy was, as he put it, ‘feeling his oats’ and thinking about running against him. He said they’d even had words about it.”

  “Hank told him he was crazy to run against Seth and asked what he meant by he was going to ‘get the goods on Seth’? Leroy told him Seth spent a lot of time at Madame Dika’s, and that he, Leroy, had gone out to her place that morning to talk to her.”

  “That’s interesting. When I talked to her she acted like she didn’t know him.”

  “That’s not what he told Hank. He said he told her he would pay her $5,000 if she told him something about Seth that he could use in the election.”

  “Wait a minute. My understanding was that Leroy owed money to everybody, including his bookie.”

  “Hank was curious about that, too. He always had to pay for their lunches, because Leroy was constantly broke, but Leroy said he’d had a big payday at the track, and he told Madame Dika that if she didn’t tell him what he wanted, he’d close her down because she was in violation of a city ordinance prohibiting fortune-telling and other similar types of activities like tarot card reading. He told her she had until 5:00 p.m. Sunday to tell him, or he’d arrest her.”