Balance Sheet
My head was pounding. I pried open my eyes and tried to focus. The pounding wouldn't stop. Wait a minute! It's not your head. Some idiot is pounding on your door at 6am. Who would do that on a Saturday? My robe was on the chair. I pulled it on and padded toward the door, careful to peer through the peephole before opening it.
"Let me in!"
I'd never seen Mary Alice this frantic. Her thick brown hair was matted and her face was scrubbed of makeup. I jerked open the door and stared.
"What the hell! I didn't know you had freckles." Her pallid complexion stopped me cold. Something was definitely wrong. "Come in," I said, pulling her arm. "What's going on?" At first she didn't speak. Then it all tumbled out word on word.
"He's dead! I know they'll blame me, I just know it."
"Wait a minute-who's dead?"
Mary Alice blinked. "Ronnie. Who else?"
My synapses still weren't firing on all cylinders. "RON REYNOLDS?" I got a queasy feeling. "Are you sure? Tell me what happened." She swept her hair into a ponytail and looked around.
"Do you have any coffee?"
I know Mary Alice. She was stalling.
"Sure. I'll make it, you talk." I ground some espresso and spooned it into the bialetta. While it boiled I whisked skim milk for our latte. Mary Alice leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes.
"Okay, take it step by step. Tell me everything." I watched her closely.
"I went home after I dropped you off. I was thirsty and wanted a drink. Ron called and told me not to come back. Some business associate was stopping by."
"What about his hair?" I asked. "How'd he get the conditioner off?" She didn't answer right away.
"He had a complete bathroom and shower in his suite. He could have rinsed it himself. In fact, that's what he said he would do."
"Go on," I urged.
"Well, I started to get undressed until I realized that I left my wallet at Ronny's. I took it out when he handed me a little cash gift."
She ignored my raised eyebrows.
"I put my clothes on and drove over to SOLSUN."
"What time did you get there?"
She shifted in her seat. "I don't know...sometime after midnight I guess."
"Midnight! You dropped me off at 10:30. What'd you do for two hours?"
Mary Alice lowered her eyes. "Just fooled around...straightened the house, the usual."
Suddenly it dawned on me. "Oh, you smoked a joint didn't you? That's why you're so fuzzy on details."
She nodded. "I might have gotten there way after midnight. I stopped by Shipley donuts first for a snack."
"I get it. You had the munchies."
She nodded. "I got a dozen of the ones with the white cream inside. Mmmm." She licked her lips at the memory.
I know her so well. "Then you had to go home again and throw up all those calories, right?"
Double nod. "I washed my face and brushed my teeth, too. I couldn't let him see me that way."
This was getting thornier by the second. "So you can't really account for your movements. Too bad about your purse. They couldn't prove anything otherwise."
Mary Alice was more relaxed now. "I parked in my SOLSUN spot and took the elevator to the Penthouse. I was super careful. Even so, I almost bumped into some guy on the way in. All the lights were turned out and it was hard to see. Ronny's Porsche was in his spot so I knew he must be there." She heaved a big sigh. "Anyhow, I turned on the lights and called out to him."
Her skin turned ashen again. "He...was in the salon right where I left him. He still had the conditioner and mudpack on him." Her voice was shaky.
"You're sure he's dead?"I asked gently.
"Oh yeah. He was all slumped over and he'd gotten sick. It smelled really bad, but I didn't see any blood. It was messy. Ronny's glass spilled, and there were Cheerios or something all over."
I was afraid to ask the next question.
"Did you call 911 or the police?"
She shook her head. "I've had a few scrapes with the cops recently-not my fault! Anyhow, I couldn't help him so I grabbed my wallet and scrammed."
She clutched the latte like a lifeline. It seemed to calm her.
"I drove around for awhile and then I got scared. So here I am."
I started pacing around the room. "Let's think this through. I imagine SOLSUN has a state of the art security system, right?"
Mary Alice shrugged. "I don't know. So what?"
"You should care because they probably have you on tape. The garage must have cameras with all those high end cars in it." I continued pacing. "It was a probably just a heart attack. He was rather plump, you must admit."
"Big boned," she countered with a smile. "Grace, am I in trouble?"
"Do you have an attorney?" I asked. "You probably know dozens of them."
She shrugged. "My guy handles wills and stuff like that. The others are all my clients."
"I'm talking about a criminal defense attorney. That's who I'd talk with. In fact, I know one of the best in the country. He lives in D.C. though. Do you want me to contact him?"
Mary Alice turned on her side and curled into a ball. "I don't know...maybe."
I found my address book, grabbed the phone and called Max Chester.
