Chapter 11

11

The fact Phoebe had seen Cordelia arguing with her neighbor was good information. Everything I knew about Cordelia so far led me to believe she avoided people—and thereby, arguments—as much as possible.

"Do you happen to remember the exact day of the argument?" I asked.

"It was the first of October," Phoebe said. "I remember because I'd just gotten my hair cut, and I stopped by Mom's house to take her to lunch."

"Tell me what you saw."

"I'd just pulled into the driveway. Mom said she needed five more minutes before she was ready, so I waited for her in the car. It was such a nice day, I decided to put the window down, and I saw Cordelia open her front door. She walked right over to her neighbor and started talking to her. Everything seemed okay at first, and then the neighbor got angry, and they started arguing."

"Do you know what they were arguing about?"

She shook her head. "I was too far away to hear their conversation."

"Which neighbor?"

"The one in the pink house."

I knew it well.

The pink house, which I'd always referred to as the Pepto Bismol house, had been on the market for some time. The darling older couple who'd owned it had priced it far higher than it should have been. It sat vacant for a while, and then the couple wised up. They reduced the price, but not by much. When it still didn't sell, they reduced it a second time, and then a younger couple swooped in and made an offer, which the owners accepted.

"Have you met the couple who bought the house?" I asked.

"I haven't."

"Mom makes it a point to know everyone in the neighborhood. I'm guessing she's met them. Did you tell Foley about the argument you witnessed?"

"I did. He stopped by and talked to the woman last week."

"Did he tell you anything about their conversation?"

"He said the wife was polite. She remembered speaking to Cordelia, but she denied they'd had an argument."

"Are you sure they were arguing that day?" I asked. "I believe you. I'm just trying to get all the facts straight."

"One hundred percent. I know what I saw."

"Did Foley happen to mention their names to you?"

Phoebe nodded. "The wife's name is Rosalyn Westwood. Can't remember the husband's name."

"Did Rosalyn tell Foley what her conversation with Cordelia was about?"

"She said Cordelia's cat kept getting out, and it was hanging out in Rosalyn's yard, which upset her dog."

"I didn't know Cordelia had a cat."

"It's Mom's cat now."

"What?"

"I guess you haven't been to her house since she took the cat in. Spoils the dang thing more than she ever spoiled us."

We both laughed.

It was good to see her smiling again.

"I never thought Mom was an animal person," I said.

"Me either. Guess she is now."

Maybe Rosalyn was telling the truth, and the argument had been over a cat. Or maybe she was lying, and the story about the cat was a diversion, smoke and mirrors to keep Foley from the truth.

"When you saw them arguing, did it seem like they were discussing a cat?" I asked.

"In my opinion, whatever they were disagreeing about seemed a lot more heated."

"How so?"

"I may not have heard what they said to each other, but the more they talked, the more upset Rosalyn became. At the end, she started pointing at Cordelia's house in such a way that made me think she was telling her to get off her property."

"Did you see how their conversation ended?"

"I did. Cordelia walked back to her place, and she was wiping her eyes. I think she'd started crying. I thought about going over and seeing if she was all right, but I didn't want to get involved. Now I'm wondering if I should have."

"It's hard to know what to do in that situation."

"Their conversation has been on my mind ever since I found out she died. I've been wondering if there's more to the story than what Rosalyn says."

"If there is, I'll find out."

"I know you will."

"I'm glad you told me about this," I said. "Sometimes the smallest detail makes the biggest difference."

"What are your plans with the case?"

"I'm meeting with Simone and Hunter to discuss it. Might be a good idea to have Hunter do a background check on the Westwoods. You never know when it might lead to something."

"It's the reason I thought you should know."

"Cordelia was the type of person who kept to herself. I don't see her getting into a lot of situations where she'd put a target on her back. Because of that, anyone who had interactions with her before she died is suspect to me, including her neighbors." I stood, grabbing the bags we'd filled with clothes and walking them over to the door. "Is there anything else I can do for you before I go?"

She threw her arms around me and said, "The fact you took time out of your day to stop by and check on me is all I needed."

"If there's anything I can do, I want you to call me, any time, day or night."

"You want me to grab your ice cream so you can take it with you?"

"Let's leave it here. I'll stop in tomorrow and see how you're doing. Maybe by then you'll have your appetite back, and we can enjoy a glass of wine and an entire pint."