The Missing Dough(65)

“Who are you talking about, then?” she asked petulantly.

“Samantha Stout,” I supplied.

“There was no way that was going to happen, either. Grant told me he was done with her when she lost her faith in his money-managing skills.”

Now, that was a spin if I’d ever heard one. “He stole from her, Vivian, and then he begged Samantha to take him back, but she wouldn’t do it. How’s that fit into your skewed little view of the world now?”

“Grant was cheated right along with everybody else,” Vivian said. “Bernie Maine took it all himself and then blamed Grant for it so people wouldn’t lynch him instead.”

Was there any chance that had a hint of truth in it? If I hadn’t heard Chief Hurley’s story about Grant’s massive bank account withdrawal, I might have even believed it myself. “Then why did Grant suddenly have so much in his bank account, and more importantly, where did it go?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “Grant was extremely well off. He always had been.”

“Is that what he told you?” Maddy asked her. There was more than a hint of condescension in my sister’s voice, but I couldn’t blame her. After all, Vivian had already taken a fair number of shots at my sister. “And you believed him? You poor thing.”

“He showed me his checking account,” Vivian said triumphantly.

“How hard could that be to fake?” I asked.

“And a bank statement, too,” she added.

“We’re not saying that the money wasn’t there at one point. The fact is, he pulled every last dime out of his account right before he died, and now it’s all disappeared.”

“He scammed me,” Vivian said with a hiss, the air deflating out of her. “I can’t believe it. What a jerk he was, and what an idiot I was for believing him twice.”

“If it’s any consolation, he fooled more women than you, and that includes me,” Maddy said, softening toward the woman suddenly. My sister was a mass of conflicting actions and beliefs, but I knew that in the core of her heart, she cared about other people, no matter how much she protested at times that she didn’t.

“Vivian, is there a chance he gambled the money away before he died?” I asked. “We found a slip in an envelope from the dry cleaner.”

“Sure, maybe twenty bucks on a pony that couldn’t run, but nothing over that,” she said, and then Vivian realized just what she was admitting to us. “I take that back. I’m not admitting that I ever did anything but take in laundry here,” she added quickly.

“Understood,” Maddy said, “but how can you be so certain he didn’t just bet it all away with someone else?”

“Nobody around here could cover that kind of bet, especially without me knowing about it. But none of that matters. Grant quit gambling after he crossed the wrong guys in Vegas last year. They made a very convincing argument, and he was afraid to flip a coin after that. Or didn’t you know about what happened there?”

“Thankfully, our ex-husband didn’t share his later adventures with me,” Maddy said. “How sure are you that he wouldn’t gamble?”

“As sure as I can be,” she said.

“So, if he didn’t gamble it away, where did it all go?” I asked. “A hundred and fifty thousand dollars doesn’t just vanish into thin air.”

“You’d be surprised by how fast someone could spend it if they were determined enough to do it,” Vivian said.

“That sounds like the voice of experience,” I said.

She shook her head. “The most I’ve ever had at one time to blow was three thousand dollars. Granted, I went through it pretty quick myself, but it was bush league compared to what some folks have done.” She paused and then added, “Listen, I was told to cooperate with the two of you if you ever came back, but there’s nothing more to tell, and that’s the honest truth.”

“Vivian, we need to contact your alibi,” I said, “and the exact times you were together. If everything checks out, we’ll promise to leave you both alone.”

“I can’t tell you where he is,” she said. “I’m really sorry. I wish I could, but I can’t.”

“Then I’m afraid we aren’t finished here yet,” Maddy said. There was an edge of determination in her voice that was unmistakable.

“Hang on,” she said and then dialed a number. “I need more instructions,” was all that she said. After a moment, she whispered into the phone, waited, and then spoke again. The next second, she was handing the telephone to Maddy.