I got out of my car and walked around to the right, my footsteps making no sound on the pale rosy bricks. In the rear, I could see the outline of a swimming pool and for the first time, I felt something chill and out of place. The pool had been filled to the brim with dirt and trash. An aluminum lawn chair was half-sunk in the sod, weeds growing through the rungs. The diving board extended now over an irregular surface of grass clippings and dead leaves, as though the water had thickened and congealed. A set of steps with handholds disappeared into the depths and the surrounding concrete apron was riddled with dark splotches.
I found myself approaching with uneasiness and I was startled out of my concentration by the sound of malicious hissing. Waddling toward me with remarkable speed were two huge white geese, their heads thrust forward, mouths open like snakes with their tongues protruding, emitting a terrifying sound. I gave a low involuntary cry and began to backtrack toward my car, afraid to take my eyes off them. They covered the ground between us at a pace that forced me into a run. I barely reached my car before they caught up with me. I wrenched the door open and slammed it again with a panic I hadn’t felt in years. I locked both doors, half expecting the viperous birds to batter at my windows until they gave way. For a moment they balanced, half lifted, wings flapping, black eyes bright with ill-will, their hissing faces even with mine. And then they lost interest and waddled off, honking and hissing, pecking savagely at the grass. Until that moment, it had never even occurred to me to include crazed geese among my fears, but they had suddenly shot straight to the top of the list along with worms and water bugs.
Nikki’s car pulled in behind mine. She got out with perfect composure and approached as I rolled my window down. The two geese appeared again around the comer of the house, making their flat-footed beeline for the flesh of her calves. She gave them an idle glance and then laughed. Both raised up again, short wings flopping ineffectually, their manner suddenly benign. Nikki had a bread bag in her hand and she tossed them some crumbs.
“What the hell are those things?” I eased out of the car cautiously but neither paid the slightest attention to me.
“That’s Hansel and Gretel,” she said amicably “They’re Embden geese.”
“The geese part I could tell. What happened? Did somebody train them to kill?”
“It keeps little kids off the property,” she said. “Come on in. ” She inserted a key in the lock and the front door swung open. Nikki stooped to pick up some junk mail that had been pushed through the slot. “The mailman gives them saltines,” she said as an afterthought. “They’ll eat anything.”
“Who else had keys to this place?” I asked. I noticed an alarm-system panel, which was apparently turned off.
She shrugged. “Laurence and me. Greg and Diane. I can’t think of anyone else.”
“Gardener? Maid?”
“Both have keys now but I don’t think they did at the time. We did have a housekeeper. Mrs. Voss. She probably had one.”
“Did you have a security system then?”
“We do now but that’s only been in the last four years. I should have sold the place years ago but I didn’t want to make decisions like that when I was in prison.
“It must be worth a lot.”
“Oh sure. Real-estate values have tripled and we paid seven hundred and fifty thousand at the time. He picked it out. Put it in my name for business reasons, but it never did appeal to me much.”
“Who did the decorating?” I asked.
Nikki smiled sheepishly. “I did. I don’t think Laurence knew any better, but I took a subtle revenge. He insisted that we buy the place so I left all the color out.”
The rooms were large, ceilings high, and plenty of light came in. The floors were dark-stained tongue and groove. The layout was very conventional: living room to the right, dining room to the left, with the kitchen behind. There was a sitting room beyond the living room and a long glassed-in porch along that side, running the length of the house. There was a curious air to the house, which I assumed was because no one had lived there for years, like a department-store display of especially elegant appointments. The furniture was still in place and there was no sign of dust. There were no plants and no magazines, no evidence of ongoing activity. Even the silence had a hollow tone, barren and lifeless.
The whole interior was done in neutral tones: grays and oyster whites, hazel and cinnamon. The couches and chairs were soft upholstered pieces with rounded arms and thick cushions, a sort of art deco look without any attempt at flash. There was a nice blend of modern and antique and it was clear that Nikki knew what she was doing even when she didn’t care.
Upstairs, there were five bedrooms, all with fireplaces, all with bathrooms of remarkable size, deep closets, dressing rooms, the whole of it carpeted in thick fawn-colored wall-to-wall wool shag.
“This is the master suite?”
Nikki nodded. I followed her into the bathroom. Fat chocolate towels were stacked near the sink. There was a sunken tub, the surrounding ceramic tile a pale tobacco shade. There was a separate glassed-in shower that had been outfitted as a steam room. Soap, toilet paper, Kleenex.
“Do you stay here?” I asked as we came down the stairs.
“I haven’t as yet, but I may. I have someone come in every two weeks to clean and of course there’s a gardener on the premises all the time. I’ve been staying at the beach.”
“You have another house out there?”
“Yes. Laurence’s mother left it to me.”
“Why you and not him?”
She smiled slightly “Laurence and his mother didn’t get along. Would you like some tea?”
“I thought you had to hit the road.”
“I have time.”
I followed her out to the kitchen. There was a cooking island in the center of the room with a big copper hood above the burners, a wide expanse of chopping block counter, and all manner of pans, baskets, and kitchen implements hanging on a circular metal rack that extended from the ceiling. All of the other counters were white ceramic tile; a double stainless-steel sink was sunk into one. There was a regular oven, a convection oven, a microwave, a refrigerator, two freezers, and impressive storage space.
Nikki put some water on to boil and perched herself on a wooden stool. I took up a stool across from her, the two of us sitting in the center of the room, which looked as much like a chem lab as a cook’s dream.
“Who have you talked to so far?” she asked.
I told her about my conversation with Charlie Scorsoni.
“They seem like an odd pair of friends to me,” I said. “My recollection of Laurence is a little hazy, but he always struck me as very elegant and cerebral. Scorsoni’s very physical. He reminds me of a guy in an ad for chain saws.”
“Oh, Charlie’s a real scrapper. From what I hear, he came up the hard way, bulldozing his way past all obstacles. Kind of like the blurb on a paperback: ‘stepping over the bodies of those he loved …’ Maybe Laurence liked that. He always talked about Charlie with grudging respect. Laurence had everything handed to him. Of course Charlie thought Laurence could do no wrong.”
“That seemed clear enough,” I said. “I don’t suppose he had any motive for murder. Did you ever think he might have had a hand in it?”
Nikki smiled, getting up to take out cups, saucers, and tea bags. “At one time or another, I’ve considered everyone, but Charlie seems unlikely to me. He certainly didn’t benefit financially or professionally She poured boiling water into both cups.
“As far as the eye can see,” I said, dunking my tea bag.
“Well yes, that’s true. I suppose there might have been some kind of hidden dividend, but surely that would have come to light at some point in the last eight years.”
“One would think.” I went on to tell her about my interview with Gwen. Nikki’s cheeks went ever so faintly pink.
“I feel bad about her,” she said. “By the time they divorced, Laurence really hated her and I tended to fan the flames a bit. He never could take any responsibility for the failure of that marriage and as a result, he had to blame her and punish her. I didn’t help. At first I really believed what he was saying about her. I mean, I personally thought she seemed like a capable person and I knew Laurence had been very dependent on her but it was safer to wean him away by feeding his bad feelings. You know what I mean? In some ways, his hating her so strongly was no different from his loving her, but it made me feel more secure to widen the breach. I’m ashamed of that now. When I fell out of love with him myself and he began to turn on me, I suddenly recognized the process.”