Chapter 16 #2
“Snake in the grass,” she growled. “Never did like him. Never trusted him.”
“Mavis is—was married to Archer. Remember? Archer Greenlee? You went to their wedding.”
Blanche’s brows slammed together as she thought. “Archer. The sawmill man?
“That’s right, he did own a mill before he retired,” Oliver agreed.
“Not the golfer?”
“No.”
“Or, um, the … oh dear Lord. The banker fellow.”
“No. That was Leonard. Leonard Armstrong. They divorced. Then she married Archer Greenlee.”
“The sawmill man,” Blanch repeated.
“Yes, that’s the one.” He glanced at Nikki. “Archer inherited a couple of sawmills and a rock quarry, but he sold them a couple of years ago. Retired.”
“Mavis never did have any taste when it came to men.” With a flip of her hand, Blanche said, “She was boy crazy as a teenager, and I don’t think it ever stopped.”
Nikki hoped to keep them both engaged as she tried to turn the conversation back to Mavis’s first husband. “So Radley and Mavis didn’t get along?”
“Fought like cats and dogs,” Blanche insisted, but behind his mother’s back Oliver was shaking his bald head as he held Nikki’s gaze. And he was sweating, beads drizzling down his cheeks. Was it from a case of nerves or because the heat in the apartment was cranked up?
“What about her second husband?”
“Len?” Oliver answered quickly. “Oh, he was a good guy. Adored Mavis.”
“Low-life banker!” Blanche cut in. “Norton—that’s my husband—they’re friends. But I never trusted that man. Smarmy lowlife, if you ask me. Always had an eye on the family money.”
Oliver looked weary. “No, Mom, he just did some investments for us, that was his job.”
“That’s what he wanted you to think.”
“He loved Mavis,” Oliver argued.
“Nearly twice her age. Robbed the damned cradle, if you ask me.”
Oliver pointed out, “Mavis was the one who filed for divorce.” To Nikki, he said, “This just doesn’t seem right, talking about my sister’s life when she can’t defend herself. I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Nikki put in, “The police will want to know.”
He found a box of tissues on a side table, took one, and swiped his forehead. “They’ve called and asked to speak to Mom already. I said they should wait until we moved over here, but I think they’re coming this afternoon. I only hope that she’s … well, you know.”
Blanche whipped her chair around, nearly running over the toe of Oliver’s leather shoes. “I heard that!” She aimed an accusing finger up at her son, then, with a crisp nod, said to Nikki, “I’m fine.”
“Sure, Mom, sure. Of course you are.” Oliver threw his arms up before walking to one of the wingback chairs near a faux fireplace and plopping himself down.
Triumphantly, Blanche turned to Nikki. “You asked about Mavis having any enemies?” she said, arching her eyebrows over her glasses.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Maybe you should talk to that Charlene Gillette,” she said coyly.
“What?” asked Nikki. What did her mother have to do with anything?
“Mom, don’t,” Oliver warned, suddenly on his feet again.
But Blanche ignored him. “She’s a cat, that one. And she never quit blaming Mavis for her affair with Big Ron when it was Ron who seduced her.” She clucked her tongue and shook her head, cotton candy hair coming out of its clips. “He’s a major player, that one.”
“Mom!” Oliver was horrified. “Don’t listen to her!”
“Well, it’s true. Trust me. Ronald Gillette never let a pretty one pass. They did more than catch his eye, let me tell you.”
Oliver made a strangled, frustrated sound. “Mom, please, you know that he was a judge and—”
“Doesn’t matter!” she snapped.
“—and this is … this is his daughter,” he explained, having paled slightly.
“Is she?” Blanche eyed Nikki speculatively. “Then she should know just what kind of a womanizer her father is!”
“Was, Mom. Ronald Gillette died a while ago.”
“Serves him right!” With that, she wheeled herself back to the bedroom and began barking orders at Sherry, who was still dutifully hanging clothes in the closet.
“I’m sorry,” Oliver apologized and looked like he wanted to disappear.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I just … I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” Oliver said, following Nikki’s gaze in the direction his mother had gone.
“She’s always been difficult, but now, she goes from being sweet and pleasant and knowing what’s going on to …
to being either out of it or angry.” He swallowed hard.
“I can’t leave LA, and she refuses to even consider moving.
So, for now, this is the best solution. Mavis never told me.
She said she was handling everything and Mom was fine, but Mom is definitely not fine, and the fact is that she was living in near squalor without much supervision. ”
“Why was that?”
“Money,” he said, without hesitation. “This place will cost a small fortune, but Mom has the funds, and the money is hers. Mavis didn’t necessarily have that viewpoint.”
“Do you know anyone who would want to harm your sister? Or kill her?”
“Besides me?” he asked sarcastically. Then, “No. Well, I don’t think so. A lot of people didn’t like my sister, but did anyone hate her enough to kill her?” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, it happened, right?”
And so the answer was yes. Someone did hate Mavis Greenlee enough to end her life. The same with Billy Huber.
But who?
And why?
And how on God’s green earth were they connected?