Dead Man Docking - Mary Daheim [74]
Rhoda laughed softly. “It wasn’t easy getting Dominic to describe Dixie’s male companion. He took umbrage when Ricky remarked that his eyesight wasn’t all it could be if only he’d wear glasses. But Dominic’s hearing is decent, and he’s not above listening in on conversations. That is,” Rhoda added quickly, “he doesn’t eavesdrop, but while hovering and serving, he pays attention to what his customers are saying to each other.”
Judith’s patience was thinning. “Yes?”
“Sorry, dear Judith,” Rhoda apologized. “I merely wanted to set the scene. Dominic’s physical description of the young man was vague. But he did hear Dixie call him by name, and it was unmistakable as well as—I suppose—unforgettable. Her luncheon companion was Ambrose Everhart.”
“Ambrose!” Judith gasped. “Well—why not? I mean, he’s part of the mix. But it’s hard to think of him as a mass murderer.”
“Is it?” Rhoda sounded as if she were giving the statement due consideration. “It’s not hard to think of anyone in that way if he or she has sufficient reason to kill people. But there is a problem.”
“What is that?”
“Dixie was definitely drunk,” Rhoda said. “But she only had two drinks at lunch. Methanol works slowly, according to what Dr. Selig told Ricky. Thus, Dixie must have been drinking before she got to Grandviews. In fact,” she added in a voice that had suddenly grown tense, “she may have been poisoned the night before—possibly right after Magglio Cruz was murdered.”
FOURTEEN
BY THE TIME Judith got back to the table at the Terrace, Renie had finished eating.
“I’m not sure what it was,” Renie said, gesturing at her empty plate, “but it was certainly delicious.” She saw her cousin’s solemn expression and sat very still. “Okay, tell me all.”
Judith did exactly that. She began to eat her salad only after she’d finished relaying Rhoda’s information. “Maybe Dixie had a drinking problem, maybe she started early in the day. Dominic insisted that she was inebriated before she finished her first of the two cocktails at Grandviews. He didn’t know her, so he couldn’t be positive. But he told Rick that she acted quite drunk before the meal with Ambrose was over.”
“Meal?” Renie looked quizzical. “I thought she didn’t eat much.”
“She ordered some food, but barely touched it,” Judith said, recalling Rhoda’s report from Rick. “Did you ever get sick when we used to drink lab alcohol?”
Renie grimaced. “Once. I threw up in Whazizname’s car. That’s when we became unengaged.”
“I thought I remembered that the stuff could upset your stomach,” Judith remarked.
“Not to mention make you go blind and also die.” Renie shook her head. “I can’t believe we were that stupid. And cheap. Of course none of us had much money in those days.”
Briefly, the cousins pondered their youthful recklessness. “We thought we were immortal,” Judith remarked.
“I never thought that,” Renie said. “I was always sure that within twenty-four hours I’d be run over by a bus. Or something.”
Judith smiled wistfully. “How many times have we come face-to-face with mortality in the last few years? Not just our own, but far too many others?”
“It’s been gruesome,” Renie allowed with a shake of her head. “Sometimes I feel like we’re soldiers, growing accustomed to falling over dead people.”
“I’ve never gotten accustomed to that,” Judith asserted. “I’ve simply accepted that death is part of life. And somehow I’ve managed to get involved in more than my share of violent deaths. It sounds silly, but once in a while I wonder if my mission in life is to seek justice.” She watched closely to see if her cousin’s expression suggested cynicism. But Renie was looking equally somber. “Remember how I wanted to be a nurse when I was a kid?” Judith went on. “But I couldn’t pass chemistry. That was when I decided to become a librarian instead. Books had answers. Writers search for truth. I couldn’t heal bodies, but I could certainly find them. And then I realized that if I put my mind to it, I could—” She broke off, feeling foolish.
“Jeez,” Renie murmured, “what’s in that salad?”
Judith