“Like she was waitin’ on somebody or waitin’ to do something. I thought that if I could look inside the pool house and check the trash cans. Maybe she was involved in a covert drug deal and the drug dealer killed her. You know, drug deal gone wrong.”
“I don’t see a problem with that,” Tori said. “I must warn you that you’ll be wasting your time. The crime scene investigators already searched the garbage bins for evidence.”
“I figured as much, but thought it was worth a shot.” Elvira met Carlita’s gaze and quickly looked away.
Carlita’s baloney radar went up. Elvira wasn’t telling them everything. “Elvira, there’s something else you’re not telling us. What is it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You’re hiding something. It’s written all over your face. What is it?”
Elvira began to fidget and Carlita cleared her throat. “Spill the beans. What are you hiding?”
“I may have a teeny problem with one of my other employees, Weston. Dernice said she saw Weston hanging around the dead woman a couple of hours before her body was found. When I cornered Weston, he said he wrote his personal cell phone number on the back of an EC Security Services’ business card and gave it to Ava.”
“Ava hit on everyone or vice versa,” Tori said bluntly. “That shouldn’t raise any red flags.”
“Except she slipped the card in her bra. Weston watched her do it. I’m thinking she might have dumped the card. I mean, if the investigators had found Weston’s cell phone number jotted on the back of one of my business cards, they would’ve already picked him up.”
“I see.” Carlita tapped the arm of the settee. “What if the killer found it?”
“That crossed my mind too,” Elvira said. “It got me to thinking…maybe I needed to take a closer look at the scene of the crime. I gotta clear Dernice’s name. I feel responsible for this entire thing. She didn’t kill Ava Torrez. I would bet my life on it.”
Carlita was convinced Elvira believed her sister was innocent, and was truly upset the investigators had detained her.
“I say we go out there again, now that we have additional information. If what Dernice said is true, it places a nervous or edgy Ava near the scene around the time of her death,” Tori said. “We’ll go right after I finish my brandy.”
Elvira’s eyes lit. “Brandy?”
Good manners overrode Tori’s first reaction and she offered Elvira a drink.
“I bet you got the good stuff.”
“Dreher.”
Elvira took a step forward and then abruptly stopped. “As much as I would love to imbibe, I’m working. Regrettably, I’ll have to pass.”
“One would expect nothing less.” Tori set her empty glass next to the brandy decanter and strolled to the door. “We’ll need flashlights if we plan to search the perimeter of the pool house.”
“I brought my own.” Elvira patted her pocket. “That and a pair of rubber gloves in case I found something.”
“What was your plan if Mrs. Montgomery refused to see you?” Carlita asked.
“My guess is Elvira planned to search the place even without Tori’s permission,” Mercedes said.
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Elvira said. “But this way is much easier for everyone involved.”
“No doubt,” Tori led the way to the main hall where Byron stood sentinel at the front door. “We’re going to take a quick look around the pool house.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
“No. We should be fine.”
“I’m packing heat,” Elvira informed him. “We’ll be protected.”
“Oh brother.” Carlita shook her head. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I would feel better if I stayed close by.” Byron turned on the exterior lights, including the pool house lights. The women followed him out of the house, through the courtyard and down the flagstone path to the back.
Four large trash containers sat alongside the garage. Elvira stopped in front of the first one and lifted the lid. She switched her flashlight on and studied the inside of the bin. “Nope.”
She slammed the lid shut and moved onto the next one, lifting the lid. “Whew!” Elvira pinched her nose. “This one smells like rotten eggs.” She slammed the lid shut. After checking the other two, she turned to Tori. “You got any more around here?”
“Yes,” Tori said. “There are two smaller bins next to the pool house. We use them for yard waste.” She led them past the house, to the second set of bins.
Elvira lifted the first lid and peered inside. “Yard debris,” she reported, and then moved onto the other bin. “Jackpot! Here, hold this.” She handed Mercedes her flashlight and then pulled a plastic bag out of one pocket and a pair of rubber gloves out of the other. “I think I might’ve found something.”
Chapter 18
“What?” Carlita peered over her shoulder.
“This might be nothing, but then it might be something.” Elvira slipped the gloves on and then stuck her hand inside the bin, pulling out a clear plastic cup. She sniffed the edge. “White wine. Pinot grigio if I had to guess, although my sniffer isn’t what it used to be.” She dropped the cup into the plastic bag before reaching inside and pulling out a second cup. “Looks like a party for two to me.”
Carlita stared at the cups. “This isn’t evidence. There was a party here only hours ago. Of course there are drink cups in the trash.”
Elvira ignored Carlita’s comment and turned to Tori. “Did any of the guests ask for a tour of the pool house?”
“Not that I’m aware of. As I discussed with your sister, Dernice, I didn’t want guests wandering around out here after dark for liability reasons, not to mention there was no one stationed to keep an eye on the pool area.”
“So no one should’ve been out here,” Elvira said.
