The white stucco house had the look of a hacienda. An open porch ran the length of it, shadowed by a red tile roof. A dozen flower pots were suspended by rope from the porch ceiling. Beyond them were some white, wrought-iron chairs and a love seat which couldn't be very comfortable but looked cheery. There were big windows on each side of the front door.
Pen stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell.
Bodie heard chimes inside.
The door was opened by a young woman with a grief-twisted face who gasped, 'Oh, honey,' and threw her arms around Pen. After a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, she seemed to notice the other sister. 'Melanie?'
Melanie received a hug and kiss while she stood motionless with her arms hanging. She didn't resist, just took it like a kid being greeted by a distant, annoying relation.
Done with the hugging, Joyce shook her head. 'It's so awful. I'm so glad you're both here.'
'Melanie drove in last night,' Pen said. She looked around. 'This is her friend, Bodie.'
Bodie said, 'Nice to meet you,' and stepped forward to shake the offered hand.
Step-mom looked about the right age to be an older sister, and had the sleek features of a fashion model. Right now, she was showing a white jumpsuit belted in at her waist. It had zippered pockets at the breasts and thighs, and one long zipper down the front. Each zipper had a big, dangling golden tab for easy opening.
She wore a thin gold chain around her neck.
She had a soft tan, curving cheeks, coral eyes, and thin eyebrows that were a shade darker than her blond hair. The hair was cut in a boyish, pixie style as if meant to show off her ears. She wore big, hoop earrings.
Whit, quite obviously, had been a very lucky man before last night.
'Please,' she said. 'Come in.'
She led them across a red tile foyer. In spite of the jumpsuit's loose fit, her walking drew it taut against her buttocks.
The living room had a plush carpet of the same burgundy shade as Pen's blouse. It also had a man on the sofa, who got to his feet as they entered.
Melanie stopped short.
' Harrison,' Pen said in a low voice.
'He's been such a sweetheart through all this,' Joyce said.
'Pen,' he said. He looked and sounded somber. He took her hand and patted it. 'I'm so sorry.'
She pulled her hand from his grip.
Harrison turned to Melanie, shaking his head. He picked up her dangling hand and squeezed it. 'A terrible thing,' he said. 'Terrible.'
Joyce said, 'This is Melanie's friend, Dobie.'
'Bodie,' he corrected, and shook hands with Harrison.
The man had a firm grip. He was somewhat taller than Bodie, maybe six-two. He was slim, but he had muscles inside his polo shirt. Bodie squeezed the guy's hand a little harder than necessary. ' Harrison Donner. I'm Whit's law partner and an old friend of the family.'
The old friend of the family must've been pushing thirty.
'Nice to meet you,' Bodie said, giving his voice some extra force.
The man had a calm, self-assured quality that wasn't arrogance, but almost.
I'm sure he's a great guy, Bodie thought. A real sport.
He no doubt belonged to the Mercedes outside, though a Porsche seemed more in character.
'Why doesn't everyone sit down and make themselves comfortable?' Joyce suggested. 'I'll get us some coffee.' She went out.
Harrison returned to his place on the sofa. Pen looked around the room until he was seated, then went to the far end of the sofa. Bodie sidestepped to a stuffed chair and sat down. Melanie sat on the carpet at his feet. She rested an arm on his knee. He stroked her arm.
'Have you been to the hospital?' Harrison asked.
'We were just there,' Pen said.
'Joyce and I were there through the operation. I think she's holding up quite well under the circumstances.'
Melanie's other hand covered Bodie's hand, pressed it gently, and stayed there.
'Were you at the accident?' Pen asked.
He shook his head. 'Joyce phoned me from the emergency room. She'd called you first, but you apparently weren't home and she got your answering machine. She needed someone to be with her.'
'So naturally she called you,' Melanie said.
'You weren't exactly available, young lady. Joyce did, in fact, put a call through to your number in Phoenix to no avail.'
'We were probably already on our way,' Bodie said.
Harrison looked puzzled.
Joyce came in carrying a silver tray. She set it on the table in front of Harrison and began to pour coffee into china cups. When they were full, she inquired about cream and sugar. No takers. She passed out the cups. She was shaking enough to make them clitter against their saucers.
Taking one for herself, she sat in a chair near Pen's end of the sofa - about as far from Harrison as the furniture would allow.
To Bodie, her choice of seats had a guilty look.
She obviously knew how it must appear to the sisters, finding her here with Harrison.
Bodie felt a little sorry for her.
Harrison resumed his puzzled expression. He directed it at Pen. 'Let me see whether I understand the sequence of events, here. Melanie and her friend were already en route to LA at the time Joyce attempted to call her. Therefore, you telephoned her with the news of the accident last night. So tell me, where have you been since then? You didn't phone? You didn't visit the hospital until this morning? Weren't you at all concerned about your father's condition?'
' Harrison, stop it,' Joyce said.
Pen looked grateful for the support. 'The thing is,' she said, 'I didn't get your message until this morning.' She frowned at Harrison. 'I don't even know why we're discussing this. All that really counts is Dad. I mean, Mel and I don't even know how he got hit.' To Joyce, she said, 'Were you with him?'
The woman nodded.
'We'll get to that in good time,' Harrison went on. 'I'd like to find out how Melanie learned about the accident if you didn't tell her last night.'
'Why are you so concerned about it?' Melanie asked. 'Let's just say that inconsistencies trouble me. I'm an attorney, after all. A good portion of my time is devoted to hunting them out. It's how one goes about discovering the truth.'
'You want the truth?'
Harrison nodded.
'I saw it happen.'
'Oh?'
'In a vision.'
'Let me get this straight. Are we talking ESP, telepathy, that sort of thing?'
'That's right,' Melanie said.
'And this vision of yours prompted you to make the trip?'
'She called here first,' Bodie jointed out. 'Nobody was home.'
Harrison leaned forward, planting his elbows on his knees and gazing at her. 'This is amazing,' he said. 'What time did you experience this vision?'
Melanie shrugged.
'About five till nine,' Bodie answered. 'That would be five till eight, Pacific time.'
Harrison arched an eyebrow and looked at Joyce. 'That's just when it happened,' Joyce confirmed. She was looking a trifle spooked.
'What, exactly, did you see?'
'I saw Dad get run down by a car.'
'Can you describe the car?'
'I don't think so.'
'The driver?'
She shook her head.
'It's too bad your vision couldn't have been a little more detailed. Information of that kind wouldn't be admissible, of course, but if it led to establishing the identity of the driver, we might find enough evidence to pin him down. I hate the thought of someone getting away with this.'
Pen turned to Joyce. 'You were there. Didn't you see what happened?'
'Not very well. It was dark and raining. All I know for sure is that it was a sports car. I can't even be sure of the color.'
'You didn't catch the license plate?'
'It all happened so fast.'
'How did it happen?' Melanie asked.
'We went out to dinner at Gerards.'
br />
'That's in Beverly Hills,' Harrison explained. 'On Canon.'
Pen nodded. 'I've been there. It's Dad's favorite restaurant.'
'We went there for your birthday this year,' Joyce said.
'Do you remember his parking spot?'
'The bank lot across the street.'
'That's where he parked last night. It's where he always parks when we go to Gerards.' She looked at Harrison. 'Whit would walk blocks to avoid leaving his car in the hands of a parking attendant.'
'Don't I know,' he said.
'Destruction Derby rejects,' Pen added, apparently quoting her father.
'Anyway, since it was raining, he let me out in front of the restaurant. I told him he should just have the boy take his car. I mean, it was pouring, he was going to get soaked. But he said, "Rain'll dry. I'm not turning this buggy over to that toenail." He called the car-hop a toenail. Not to his face, but… Anyway, I got out and stood under the canopy to wait for him. He drove across the street and parked behind the bank. It's right on the corner, you know. The bank, not the lot. The lot's in the rear, and I guess he didn't want to go to the corner and use the crosswalk because it was out of the way. So he just cut right across the street. The light at the corner was red and there weren't any cars coming. Not from the other way, either. Then suddenly this car was hitting him.' She pressed her lips together in a tight line and stared down at the coffee cup on her lap. When she spoke again, her voice was pitched higher than before, and trembling. 'I didn't even see it till it hit him. I guess I was looking at something else. I saw him step off the curb, and there wasn't any traffic, and then I heard this awful sound and looked and he was like rolling over the top of this sports car. It never even slowed down or anything after it hit him. Whit… he was lying in the road and the light had turned green and all these other cars were starting to come at him. I ran out and… none of them hit him. I, you know, waved them off.'
'God Almighty,' Pen muttered.
'Did anyone in those other cars see him get hit?' Bodie asked.
'I don't know. The first cars, they just slowed down and went around me and kept going. Three or four did that. Then someone stopped, but he hadn't seen anything.'
'What about the restaurant's car-hop or doorman?' Pen asked.
'They didn't see it. The doorman was showing a party inside, and the parking guys were off parking cars. Anyway, someone called the police, I guess. They showed up and then an ambulance.' She sighed deeply. She was silent for a few moments. Staring down into her coffee cup, she said, 'It's so hard to believe something like that could happen.'
'How could it happen?' Melanie asked. 'That car coming out of nowhere like that.'
'It undoubtedly made a right turn onto Canon,' Harrison said, 'and the driver didn't see him until it was too late.'
Melanie whispered, 'The bastard. He's not going to get away with it.'
CHAPTER NINE
'He… or she,' Harrison said, 'may lose some sleep over it, if he wasn't too drunk to know it even happened, but unless someone comes up with the license number of his car, he will get away with it. I've had any number of cases involving phantom cars. Without the license number, you're dead in the water.'
'I don't even care who did it,' Joyce confessed. 'I mean, I care, but…'
'And well you should,' Harrison told her. 'Retribution - and getting him off the streets - aside, we're talking here about a personal injury suit of rather staggering proportions. Assuming the driver was insured…'
'How can you even think about a lawsuit right now? Whit's lying in a hospital room, half…' She cut herself off.
Half-dead, Bodie finished for her. Or three-quarters? Seven-eighths? The phrase seemed to be making its rounds.
'I'm sorry,' Harrison told her. 'I shouldn't have brought it up. It's a moot point, anyway. We'll probably never know who the driver was.'
Joyce lifted her cup and took a sip. Apparently, whatever remained of her coffee had grown cold. She made a face, then got up from her chair and set the cup and saucer onto the table. Returning to her seat, she managed a smile and said to Melanie, 'I hope you won't be rushing back to school.'
'Not right away,' Melanie told her. 'I want to stay around until…' She shrugged. 'We haven't really discussed it, but I can't go back while Dad's the way he is. Bodie may have to go back, though. He's got a teaching assistantship.'
'I can make arrangements for someone else to cover my classes,' he said. 'For a few days, at least.'
'There's plenty of room for both of you here,' Joyce said.
Bodie thought about Pen's offer. He would rather stay at her place - no question. 'I don't know,' he said.
'It wouldn't be any trouble. You can't just go off to some motel. I'm sure Whit wouldn't allow it, if he were here. So as long as you're in town, this is home. All right?'
'All right,' Melanie said. 'Thank you.'
Pen lowered her eyes. She looked as if the rejection had hurt her, but she didn't speak up.
Neat play, Mel.
'Have you eaten yet?' Joyce asked.
'Pen gave us breakfast,' Bodie said.
'Well, you two must be exhausted. Maybe you'd like to freshen up.'
'I could sure use some sleep,' Melanie told her.
'Fine. Why don't you go ahead and get some rest? Do you have your things?'
'Out in the van.'
'Fine. Harrison, why don't you give them a hand with their luggage? I'll get out some clean sheets and towels.'
'Pen, are you staying?' Bodie asked.
'Well…'
'There's no need to rush off,' Joyce said. 'Besides, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do with your sister.' Pen hesitated.
'You don't want to be alone,' Bodie told her.
'No, I suppose not.' She nodded to Joyce. 'If you don't mind, I could use a little rack time myself. Rough night.'
'It's all settled, then.' She bobbed her head briskly.
'I'll give you that hand with the bags,' Harrison said. 'No need,' Bodie told him. 'We haven't got much.'
'I guess I'll be on my way, then.'
Bodie expected Joyce to protest. She'd been eager enough to keep everyone else at the house. But she stood up as Harrison rose from the sofa, and said, 'Thanks so much for everything. I don't know what I would've done.'
'Just give me a call if you need me.'
'I will. Thanks again.'
'You'll be going over to see Whit tonight?' he asked.
Joyce nodded.
'Keep me posted.'
'Certainly.'
'I'm sure it'll all turn out fine. Whit's a tough old bird. He won't let a little thing like this keep him down.'
They all said goodbye, and Harrison turned away. Joyce didn't see him to the door.
Joyce poked her head through the bedroom doorway. 'I put some fresh washcloths and towels in the bathroom. If you need anything you can't find, just give a yell.'
'Thank you,' Bodie said.
She left. Bodie continued helping Melanie put clean sheets on the bed. 'Did this used to be your room?' he asked.
'It was. All new furniture, though.'
'Good thing. I bet you didn't have a bed like this.' It was a strange bed, unlike any that Bodie had seen before, a single with a space beneath it for a second bed. They had rolled out the bottom section, Joyce showing them how to raise it level with the other mattress. 'Nice that she didn't give us any grief about sleeping together.'
'She knows I live with you.'
'Still, some people…'
'She isn't my mother.'
'She seems nice.'
Melanie raised an eyebrow. Removing a leather toilet kit from her suitcase, she said, 'Back in a minute.'
Bodie sat on the bed. He rubbed his face. He felt vague and a little nauseous. Sleep would take care of that. And sleep would be a welcome release from having to face all this. A lot was going on. More than he wanted to think about.
Melanie came back.
'Do you have to use th
e john?' she asked.
'Yeah.'
'It's at the end of the hall.'
He got up slowly and crouched over his suitcase to take out his toothbrush and paste.
'When you go by,' Melanie told him, 'take a peek into the master bedroom.'
He did as she asked. In the bathroom, he brushed the fuzz off his teeth, washed his face and used the toilet. Then he returned.
***
Melanie shut the door. 'Did you see the bed?'
'Yeah. Something special about it?'
'It wasn't made.'
'No.' The covers and top sheet had been left in a messy heap near the foot of the bed. 'So?'
'So who used it? More to the point, when?'
'I don't know.'
'Guess.'
Bodie sat down and pulled his shoes off. Getting out of his shoes felt wonderful. He hadn't been aware of how hot and cramped his feet had been. 'It doesn't have to be that. Joyce and your father might've been using it before they took off for the restaurant.'
'I doubt it.'
He peeled off his damp socks, and sighed. 'Or maybe Joyce took a nap after she got home from the hospital.'
'She came back with Harrison. They used that bed last night. Joyce and Harrison. Dad's bed.'
Wearily, Bodie shook his head. 'And she just left the bed messed up for all to see?'
'She didn't know we'd show up.'
'She wouldn't have left it like that. Not if she'd been screwing around with Harrison. Even if she didn't make the bed right away, she would've found some excuse to get up here and fix it after we arrived. Or at least close the door.'
'Not necessarily.'
Bodie shrugged. 'If you say so,' he said, taking off his shirt. 'But I think she would've made some effort to cover up, don't you?'
'You'd think so.'
He unfastened his pants, stood and pulled them down along with his shorts. He stepped out of them and climbed between the smooth, cool sheets.
Hell, he thought, they probably did. A rotten damn thing to do, but they probably did. Maybe they'd been at each other behind Whit's back for a long time. Or Joyce just needed comfort, last night, and Harrison had obliged.
Melanie took off her blouse. She left her bra on. Her small breasts, the dark flesh of her nipples, showed through the transparent fabric.