Gypped (7 page)

I’ve got to go check. Regan started down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom and waited. Whatever made that noise couldn’t have been too far away from where I am right now, she reasoned, otherwise I wouldn’t have heard it. To her left, the door to the bathroom was partially ajar. She gave it a slight push. Slowly it creeked open. Regan flipped on the light.

What a sight!

The shower curtain was in a heap in the tub, ornate heavy metal hooks scattered all around, the rusted rod now sticking out sideways. A decorative glass vase that Regan remembered seeing on the vanity had shattered on the floor.

Regan breathed a deep sigh of relief, laughed nervously, then shut the door. This place is falling apart. That mess can wait until the morning.

Emboldened, Regan went around the ground floor checking all the windows and doors. Luckily there was no basement. By the back door in the kitchen she noticed the bowl with her car keys. She’d seen them earlier, when she’d been looking for Norman’s number. She’d been in such a hurry. Surely the valet
brought my car back up from the street. That’s what they usually do at these kind of parties. She peeked out the window but couldn’t tell whether her car was there. It was too dark.

She opened the back door and stepped outside. The only sound was a light wind rustling the trees. Shocked, she realized that there was only one car in the driveway, Zelda’s.

The valet didn’t bring my car back? That’s crazy. If they brought it back and someone stole it, that would be unbelievable. Why wouldn’t they take Zelda’s Mercedes? I know car thieves don’t go as much for the luxury vehicles, but come on!

Should I go down the street and see if it’s there? she asked herself. If something happens to that rental, it’s going to be a real pain. Decisively, she went back to the kitchen, grabbed the keys, walked outside, and started down the path. When she reached the driveway, she slowed down. The outside lights were off and the pavement descended into darkness. Pitch darkness. There were no street lights.

I can’t do this, she decided. Jack would be really upset it he knew I went wandering down a dark unfamiliar road at this time of night. If the car’s not there in the morning, it’s not there. It’s just a car. She turned, went back in the house, and double locked the door.

Another troubling thought was swirling around her head. What made Zelda so sick? Something she ate? Regan went over to the pink refrigerator and opened it. All the leftovers were wrapped in plastic bags or aluminum foil. She shut the door. I know Zelda could have eaten something earlier today that she had a bad reaction to later, but her illness came on so fast.

Upstairs she was glad to see that Zelda was still asleep. Regan sat back on the chair, pulled the blanket over her, and tried to get comfortable.

Down the street, in the woods near her car, someone was
anxiously waiting for Regan to leave the party. He was hoping she wasn’t spending the night at the house. Why would she? She was staying in a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills.

With each passing minute he grew more agitated.

She should mind her own business, he thought. I’ll teach her a lesson.

One way or the other, I’ll get it done.

W
hen Regan opened her eyes, once again it took her a moment to realize where she was. The first clue was that she felt like a pretzel. Gray shadows giving the room a surreal atmosphere were the second. Oh yes, she thought. This ain’t the Beverly Hills Island Hotel. Regan checked her watch. It was 7:10. Jack was probably on his way downtown to the meeting.

Regan dragged herself “out of chair,” wishing it was out of bed. The sight of a sleeping Zelda reassured her that she wasn’t in some sort of dream world. A few minutes later she located a bathroom downstairs that didn’t have shattered glass all over the floor. Looking in the mirror, she sighed. I need to get back to the hotel after Zelda wakes up.

A new toothbrush that Zelda had given her the night before was in Regan’s hand. After freshening up as much as she could, Regan grabbed her coat off the couch in the living room, and her keys from the kitchen. Let’s hope the car is still there, she thought.

Outside, the air was brisk. Regan, in her heels, carefully made her way down the steep driveway. She turned and started up the block, enjoying the sound of the chirping birds. What a beautiful time of day, she thought. Everything is so peaceful.

Beyond the Scrumps estate, there were woods on either side of the street. Regan wondered why other houses hadn’t been built. When she reached the top of the road, she spotted her car at the end of the block. All by itself.

“Yes!” she said aloud. “The day is starting out right.” It felt good to walk and stretch her legs, after being cramped on that chair. When she reached the four-door sedan, and started to put the key in the door, a thought occurred to her. The valet last night had mentioned a hiking trail was right here. Should I take a quick look? If Jack and I decide to stay in LA for the weekend, a hike might be fun.

She walked around the car and started on a narrow path heading into the woods. Twigs crunched underneath her feet as her high heels started to sink into the soil. Maybe I shouldn’t do this now, she thought. Turning around, a glint of silver caught her eye. It was a few feet off the walking path, and mostly covered by leaves. What’s that? she wondered, slowly moving toward the shiny object. She leaned over, and carefully cleared away the leaves on top.

“Oh my God,” Regan breathed.

She’d uncovered a long, shiny butcher knife.

What is that doing here? Regan wondered. It looks brand new. Once again, her heart started racing. Why would someone bring a knife like that into the woods? Did they hide it here? This is not good. Regan grabbed the handle, pointed the blade downward, and hurried back to the car. She opened the trunk, dropped the knife, and slammed the trunk shut. A minute later she was racing up Zelda’s driveway.

It might be nothing, she reasoned, as she parked, got out, and went back into the kitchen. But that knife could be deadly. She double locked the door. If you go hiking, you might bring a
pocket knife, but that’s it. I’ll talk to Jack later. The best thing to do would be to turn it over to the police. If the owner is looking for his butcher knife, let him go claim it at the precinct’s lost and found.

Regan prepared a tray of tea and toast, enough for both her and Zelda. If she’s not awake, I’ll make more later. Regan headed upstairs and tiptoed into Zelda’s room.

“Regan, hi.” Zelda started to sit up.

“How do you feel?”

“A little wiped out.”

“Tea?”

“Sounds great,” Zelda said, propping herself up on the pillows. “I am thirsty.” She sipped the tea Regan gave her and ate a slice of toast. “I’m glad I can get something down.”

“I am, too,” Regan agreed. Here goes, she thought. “Zelda, you mentioned yesterday we might go on a moonlight hike last night.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Such big plans.”

“You’re not planning to go hiking in the next few days, are you?”

“Not the way I feel. But earlier this week I went for walks in the woods with my clients. Sometimes it’s good to be out in nature and get all the cobwebs out of your head. This area is perfect for that. Even taking a walk on the block is great. No traffic!”

“Zelda, I just went down to the end of the road to get my car.”

“One of the valets didn’t bring it into the driveway last night?”

“No.”

“That’s terrible!”

“Well, maybe it’s good they didn’t. I walked down to take a look at the hiking trail but my sandals were getting stuck in the ground. I hadn’t gone very far when I discovered a large butcher knife that was mostly hidden under some leaves.”

“A large what?” Norman said excitedly as he strode into the room. “A knife? I was just coming up the steps and couldn’t help but overhear.”

“Oh, hello, Norman” Regan said. “Yes. I found a knife in the woods. And what’s more troubling is that it obviously hasn’t been there very long. It looked brand new.”

Norman flopped in the chair.

Zelda glanced at him. “You look tired.”

“It was very busy last night,” Norman sniffed. “At least I’m not still in bed.”

“Right after you left I got very sick,” Zelda said reproachfully. “That’s why Regan is here. She stayed with me.”

“You got sick?”

“Yes.”

“I’m so sorry,” Norman said sincerely, as he put his hand to his mouth. “Regan, you should have called me. I would have come right back.”

“It’s okay,” Regan said. “I wanted to stay.”

“Tell us about the knife,” Zelda urged.

“There’s nothing much to say,” Regan answered. “I put it in the trunk of my car. I just can’t think of any good reason why it would be hidden under leaves in the woods. The valet said last night that people don’t access the hiking trail from this street because they can’t park here easily.”

“Maybe we should hire a security guard,” Norman said excitedly. “It’s a good thing we’re clearing out of here in a few days. What a waste of money this place is.”

“It was for a good cause,” Zelda protested. “Whatever it was.”

Norman shrugged. “I don’t remember. What do you think made you sick?”

“I don’t know. I probably caught a bug.”

Zelda’s cell phone rang. She opened the drawer of her nightstand, grabbed it, and glanced at the caller ID.

“It’s Rich,” she said. “Hello . . . oh, thanks Rich, it was fun, wasn’t it? Yes, a lot of different people. You want to come by? Well, sure, I’ll be here. Great. See you then.” Zelda pressed disconnect and put down her phone. “Rich has some business he wants to discuss with me this afternoon.”

“Shouldn’t you rest?” Norman asked.

“He has something to talk to me about before he goes away for the weekend. Besides, if I just sit here I won’t feel any better. I have to cancel my clients because it’s not fair to charge for a session when I can’t give them my best, but I can meet with Rich. Besides, we have to get ready for company that will be arriving late tonight.”

Norman’s eyes widened. “Company? Tonight? I’m exhausted.”

“My father and his new wife.”

“What?”

Zelda explained.

“Oh my God! He married her already!”

“Yes. They can use the bedroom downstairs at the end of the hall.” Zelda shrugged. “It’s too weird.”

“While you’re getting this place ready,” Regan said, “you might want to take a look at the bathroom by the staircase. Last night the shower curtain collapsed into the tub.”

“You took a shower there?” Norman asked quizzically. “You
should have gone into one of the bedrooms and used a more private bathroom.”

“I didn’t shower. I was sitting here and heard a crashing sound at three in the morning. The curtain rod is all rusted. It fell and knocked over a glass vase.”

“Well, how perfect,” Norman said, wrinkling his nose. “I’ll take care of it. I guess.”

Regan finished the last of her tea. “Speaking of showers, I think I’ll head back to the hotel. But I do want you to be careful around here. Keep the doors locked.”

“It’s Friday,” Norman said. “We’ll be out of here Monday. Now that Zelda’s father is coming, there will be a lot of people in the house.”

“Regan,” Zelda said disappointedly. “I feel terrible. You’ve been so good to me. Can you at least come back for lunch?”

“Zelda, shouldn’t you just rest?”

“No, I’d much rather spend time with you. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“What?” Norman asked.

“Norman, I’m talking to Regan.”

“Okay. Do you want me to leave?”

“No. You already know everything that goes on in my life.” Zelda turned her head toward Regan. “I was wondering if I could hire you to find out a little about the woman my father married.”

“Isn’t it a little late?” Norman asked practically. “What good could it possibly do to have Regan start investigating now?”

Thanks, Norman, Regan thought.

“If there’s something about her we should know, it’s not too late,” Zelda said somewhat impatiently. “All I want to do is protect my father. If she checks out, she checks out. I hope they’re happy!”

“All right, already,” Norman said. “Take it easy.”