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“If I hear one more word about your unsavory business practices, Izban, I’m going to come down on you like a ton of bricks. I’m going to turn this place inside out, going over every receipt with a magnifying glass, every tax return, every bank statement, every sale. I’m going to talk to your staff, your suppliers, and every single one of your customers and when I’m done I’m going to do it all over again. Until I find something that isn’t up to snuff and when that happens I’m going to tear you limb from limb. Do you understand?”

The man gulped, his eyes bulging.“Y-y-yes, detective,” he said in a squeaky voice.

“Make no mistake, I believe in free enterprise. What I don’t believe in are crooks who believe they can run roughshod over another man and destroy his business so they can get ahead. Frankly I find that kind of behavior repulsive.”

“No, absolutely.”

“Now tell me, do you recognize either of these two women?” asked Chase, and showed the man pictures of Dotty and Calista.

Izban shook his head vehemently.“Never seen them before, I swear.”

Chase studied him for a moment, then finally relented.“Don’t forget what I told you.”

“No. No, of course not.”

When we finally walked out of the place, I saw Peter Izban insert a finger between his neck and his collar and pull, hard. I had the impression he’d had quite the epiphany.

This time at least when we crossed the road, Chase was so kind to pick us both up and carry us, even as he helped his wife across by staring down every driver who thought crosswalks are a quaint notion to be taken as a suggestion not a strict obligation.

And he’d just helped Odelia in the car and assisted her in clicking her seatbelt into place when his phone chimed. He took it out and read the message. “Looks like we need to pay another visit to Sybil Garlic,” he finally grunted. “She’s been posting some pretty nasty stuff on her blog.”

“Mrs. Garlic has a blog?” asked Odelia as she closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her head to rest against the headrest.

“It would appear so, and the things she writes about Dotty and Calista aren’t very nice to say the least.” He tucked his phone away again. “What is it with people? How hard is it to be civil for a change? And what is it about ‘love thy neighbor’ they don’t understand?”

“Let’s just go, Chase,” said Odelia, who clearly wasn’t in the mood for a philosophical discussion about the nature of mankind. “And yes,” she added when her husband opened his mouth to speak, “I’m absolutely fine!”

“She doesn’t look fine to me,” Dooley whispered.

“No, she certainly does not,” I whispered back.

“She forgot about us back there, Max.”

“I know.”

“We could have died crossing that road.”

“I know.”

“The old Odelia would never forget about us.”

“I know, right?”

“What are you two whispering about?” Odelia grumbled without turning.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Absolutely nothing at all,” said Dooley.

“Good,” Odelia murmured. “Nothing is just about all I can take right now.”

Chapter 22

Once more we found ourselves in the presence of Dotty’s slightly less than delightful neighbor Sybil Garlic. And once again she declined to invite us into her little home, opting to engage us in conversation on her doorstep. It made me wonder what she might be hiding in there.

“‘Good riddance,’ Mrs. Garlic?” asked Chase, reading from his phone. “‘Filthy scum got exactly what they deserved?’ Is that a way to talk about your neighbors?”

“Okay, so I’m not unhappy that she’s dead,” said Mrs. Garlic, giving us a pointed look, as if she didn’t approve of cats in her home any more than she did ladies of the night. “But that doesn’t mean I killed her, now does it?”

“Please try to apply restraint in the things you write online, Mrs. Garlic,” said Chase. “Dotty Ludkin had a family. A father who loved his daughter very much. And a boyfriend who felt the same. Do you really want them to read the kind of stuff you write?” When she didn’t reply, he said, more forceful this time, “Delete it would be my strong advice.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I’d be forced to look a little closer into the vandalism charges that have come to light. And trust me, I’d be inclined to take those very seriously indeed.”

“You shouldn’t be looking at me, you know. I’m not the bad guy here,” she said annoyedly. “You should be looking at those men that were up there all the time. She probably thought no one noticed, but I did. Place was like a darn bus stop.”

“Was there someone up there with Dotty the night she died?” asked Odelia, getting a sudden moment of inspiration.

“Oh, absolutely. Like I said, there were men up there all the time. It never ended. And then laughing and talking and playing their music way too loud. Her bedroom is right over my bedroom, so I could hear her mattress squeak when she was doing her business. I always had to sleep with earplugs orI wouldn’t have gotten any sleep at all.”

“You didn’t happen to take a look at the person who was up there that night, did you?”