Betrayed (Rosato & DiNunzio, #2)(41)

“Yes, totally. Why wouldn’t I?” Aunt Barb turned her palms up, in appeal. “She slept over whenever she took me for chemo. I told her to make herself comfortable in there, to consider my home, her home.”

Judy’s mother tsk-tsked. “But still, it’s your house. Didn’t you ever go in there? Didn’t you notice anything unusual?”

Judy interjected, “Mom, it’s not her fault.”

Aunt Barb held up a palm, signaling to Judy to stop. “Thanks honey, but I can explain.” She turned to Judy’s mother. “Delia, nobody else used that guest room for years, until Friday, when you came. You didn’t see anything unusual, did you?”

Judy’s mother flushed. “I’m hardly unpacked. But I bet I would have found the money, sooner rather than later.”

“Delia, I trusted her. She stayed over when she helped me, for nights in a row. I would never dream of going into her room and searching it, for heaven’s sake. I respected her privacy.”

Detective Boone glanced uncomfortably at his feet, which didn’t stop Judy’s mother. “But Barb, what about when you clean? Didn’t you see anything?”

Aunt Barb shook her head. “Iris did all the cleaning, every two weeks.”

Judy’s mother laughed, without mirth. “You’re too trusting, honey. That woman had a perfect plan. She had you all figured out. The only question is, how much more money did she hide in your house?”

“Mom, please, enough.” Judy met Mary’s eye, with a Meaningful Flare. “It looks like we have our work cut out for us. Time for a treasure hunt, eh, girl?”

“Let’s get busy,” Mary answered, with a grim smile.





Chapter Nineteen

Judy and Mary zoomed toward Philly on a Schuylkill Expressway slick with rainwater. They had packed all the cash they could find in a duffel bag, and it came to about $50,000. Judy had driven the whole way home paranoid that they would get in an accident or be carjacked. The duffel was in the trunk of her car, which meant the total worth of her vehicle was $55,000.

Judy checked the rearview mirror again, and all was well. Her aunt and her mother dozed in the backseat, with Penny sleeping between them like a furry demilitarized zone. The two sisters had reached an uneasy truce while they packed Aunt Barb’s luggage to move to Judy’s apartment, but Judy felt preoccupied the whole time, worrying about the secret money and her aunt’s mastectomy.

“You all right?” Mary asked quietly. “I’ve been yapping away about the wedding again. The dress, the band, the hall, and the pigs in a blanket. Sorry if the wedding is taking over my life.”

“No, it should, and it’s fine. It’s good to talk about something happy.” Judy managed a smile as the city skyline popped into view in the distance, its modern neon lights outlining the ziggurat of Liberty Place and the pointed spike of the Mellon Center.

“But what’s up?”

“I just want my aunt to be okay. I can’t believe this strain is good for her.”

“It can’t be helped, and you heard what she said, that it took her mind off of everything.”

“I guess.” Judy took the Montgomery Drive exit.

“I think it’s a good idea for them to stay at your apartment, unless it comes to fisticuffs.”

Judy smiled. The best thing about Mary was that she could always cheer her up, no matter what the circumstances. “Thanks so much for all you did tonight.”

“No problem. I’m glad I was there.” Mary checked her phone, and a quick flash of light illuminated her face. “It’s getting late. Bennie said to text her when we get close to the office. She’s in, getting ready for trial.”

“I’ll pull up in front of the building, and my mother and aunt can wait in the car. It won’t take that long, will it?”

“No. The kids are asleep, right?” Mary glanced behind her in the backseat. “I didn’t want to say this in front of them, but your getting attacked tonight made me rethink my theory about Iris’s death.”

“Me too.” Judy swung the car onto the West River Drive, which bordered the winding Schuylkill River. Tall, leafy oaks lined the riverbank, but the dark river glistened like a winding black python. “I can’t wait to see those autopsy results. It’s just too coincidental that these alleged prowlers were there tonight. I wonder if they were staking out the house, waiting for me to leave. I was there last night, and this is the first night without me. I’m thinking she was in business with them.”

“What kind of business? Drugs?”

“What else could it be, right? Maybe the autopsy will show a drug overdose or that she did have a heart attack, but it was caused by a drug overdose, or there were drugs in her system. It wouldn’t have to be hard drugs like heroin or cocaine, it could just be something like prescription pills. Iris could have been using her own supply. That would explain her death and also the presence of the money.”

“Why was she on the road then? Why did she miss work?”

“She was making a delivery or picking up a supply. She got a mystery call, maybe that was it. Either way, it’s clear by now that she was living a secret life, isn’t it? And with something like drug dealing, she’d come in contact with a lot of unsavory people. Dangerous people, thugs.” Judy shuddered to think that thugs were in her aunt’s backyard, maybe with a gun. “It was a lucky break that we went there tonight, wasn’t it?”