“The man’s positively insane!” she declared. “I’m going to tell Perry to install a better security system.”
“I’d do that if I were you,” Nora said. “And don’t open the door for him again.”
“You can bet on that,” Kim agreed. “Last thing I need is to be found dead like Zoey!”
*****
Chapter 16
Matt’s Version
Nora pulled out of Kim’s driveway, expecting to go home. But, as the iron gates closed automatically behind her, Nora caught sight of something in her rear view mirror that made her hit the brakes.
Matt was sitting on the curb, his head in his hands. His great bulk was shaking slightly. Nora hesitated, then made up her mind. Parking her car on the side of the road, she got out and slammed the door to get his attention. Matt looked up, blinked at her and then turned away. After seeing the way he’d behaved with Kim, Nora was very sure she didn’t want Matt anywhere near Hazel. Maybe she was interfering, but this was her daughter! She figured it would be a good chance to warn Matt that he messed with Hazel at his own peril.
“What d’you want?” Matt snapped as she approached. “Come to crow? Or to poke your nose where it doesn’t belong again?”
Startled, Nora asked, “What do you mean?”
“I mean that someone gave my glove to the Sheriff’s Department,” Matt said. “Deputy James returned the glove to me when they couldn’t find any DNA or evidence on it. I told him he could just have just asked me about it. I’d been wondering all week where my gardening glove had vanished to! At first I thought I’d lost it while cutting out those doll’s eye plants. But then I thought again and realized you must have taken it!”
Nora flushed, betraying herself. Matt shook his head in disbelief. “Are you stupid? Do you think I’d murder Zoey and then leave the glove that was somehow involved lying around my house? The only thing I’ve ever used that glove for is working the gardens I’m responsible for.”
“I’m sorry,” Nora said. “Clearly, I was wrong.”
“Clearly.” Matt mimicked her. “Clearly you need to stay away from me.”
“And you need to stay away from my daughter!” Nora exclaimed. “Give up this idea of doing business with her. She doesn’t need your kind of trouble.”
Matt stared at Nora, blinking slowly. “Is it you? Did you put Perry up to it?”
“Up to what?” Nora was confused.
“Perry isn’t paying me the wages he owed me. That man made me break my back working for him and now he’s not paying up. Why? Just because he knows that I need it. He knows that I can’t afford to take him to court and, without that money, I can’t start my own company. So I’m stuck, aren’t I?”
“I...” Nora didn’t know what to say.
“Perry claims I didn’t do my work, but that’s nonsense,” Matt said. “Wait, you or your husband put him up to this, didn’t you? To stop me and Hazel from starting our own company?”
“Of course not!” Nora exclaimed. That was ridiculous. Neither she nor Harvey would ever behave like that. Matt was obviously paranoid. She wondered if he was drunk, too, though he didn’t seem it.
Matt scoffed. “I can’t believe you two. You don’t deserve a daughter like Hazel. She’s everything you aren’t. Sweet and caring and actually a decent person. How you two lizards brought her up is beyond me.”
“Hey! Enough with the insults already.” Nora bristled. “And how about you? Why’d you end up lying to the sheriff? You were the one who told me Zoey was worried about a silver jacket. Why deny that later?”
Matt’s jaw clenched. “Sure. I told you that. I regret it, too. If I’d stuck to that story, the sheriff would have let Brock Williams go scot-free and Zoey’s case would end up clogged in red tape as he tried to follow some nonexistent lead. Don’t you get it, Nora? Brock killed her. It had to be him! And I’m gonna do my best to see that he’s put away for life this time.”
“Are you sure it was Brock?” Nora asked. “Because I don’t think so. Zoey thought he’d changed, and Zoey was a good judge of character. She loved him.”
Matt recoiled. “What?”
“That’s right,” Nora said. “Zoey loved Brock. You know it, too, don’t you? I can see it in your face. You chased after her and chased after her, but it was never enough. Her heart was with Brock, always. She was planning to break up with you, wasn’t she? You knew it, too. Is that why you did it? Jealousy? You couldn’t bear for her to reject you?”
Matt stood up, hulking over Nora, his fists clenched. “You better shut up. Shut up or I’ll kill you!”
Nora’s jaw dropped. The same words. The same words that had been on the note attached to the brick. Her heart sped up and a fine sweat broke out over her body. The road was completely deserted at this time of the day and, even if she cried out for help, there would be nobody to hear her. For the second time, Nora noticed the set of Matt’s jaw, the dangerous scar on his face. She remembered Harvey telling her that he’d once been to jail. This was a man who clearly didn’t care about laws once his temper was up.
Matt rubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t know what got into me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s the stress. It’s everything. My life’s falling apart. Job, girl, health...”
“It’s alright.” Nora’s voice was soft, placatory. Somehow, she had to get away from him. If she couldn’t do that, she had to keep him talking until she found a way to escape.
“You’re right. Zoey was going to break up with me. I knew it would happen sooner or later. Even when we were at dinner that night, she was just so distant…”
“You deserve better. You’ll find someone,” Nora said.
“Will I? I’m near 50 and jobless. Nobody will want me. Zoey sure didn’t.”
“I’m sure she was fond of you.”
“Yeah, but I had no chance with her as long as Brock was in the picture.” Matt sighed. “That fool. He threw away his life, he threw away Zoey, and she still loved him! She couldn’t even look at me because her eyes were clouded with visions of him.”
“It’s all in the past now, anyway,” Nora said. “There’s nothing you can do.”
“Oh, yes, I can. I can make sure Brock’s punished,” Matt said. “And I promise you, I will.”
*****
Chapter 17
A Parcel of Hope
Nora didn’t know what to do. Matt’s words were still ringing in her ears and neither the diner nor her home seemed the right place to go. She didn’t want to face Hazel, afraid as she was that she would aggravate the situation by forbidding Hazel from going near Matt once again. At the diner, she knew Tina would be waiting to pounce on her with questions about the broken window from the night before, and she certainly wasn’t in a mood to answer those.
She wasn’t even thinking as she drove, really, but her car found its way through the familiar streets and finally came to a stop at Mrs. Mullally’s house. Nora sat for a minute with her hands on the wheel, wondering if she should just turn back. Then the door opened and Ronnie Shepherd stepped out onto the porch with a glass of juice in her hand. Nora watched her sip it and then close her eyes, as though she were savoring that single moment of peace.
A mother of two young kids, facing a future alone — Nora didn’t envy her one bit. Getting out of her car, Nora walked up the drive and Ronnie looked at her wearily.
“What do you want?” she asked, no trace of friendliness in her voice.
“I want to talk to you,” Nora said, equally blunt. “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“And what business is it of yours?” Ronnie snapped. “You don’t know me, you don’t know my life. So stay out of it.”
“Ronnie, Zoey’s murderer is still out there, roaming free,” Nora said. Ronnie twitched guiltily and looked down at the porch.
“As for why it’s my business…” Nora paused, “someone threw a brick through my window last night. There was a pleasant little note attached to it, threaten
ing to kill me if I didn’t, and I quote, shut up.”
“I...” Ronnie’s eyes grew wider and her mouth formed a little “o”. She seemed to have lost her voice. “That must have been scary,” she managed, finally. “If I were you…” She stopped.
“If you were me, what?” Nora asked.
“If I were you, I’d stop poking my nose about, is all,” Ronnie said. “I mean, the killer means business, and you’re risking your life. Not just that, you’re risking your family’s lives.”
“Zoey deserves justice,” Nora said. “She was a good woman, a rare woman. All she wanted was a chance to work hard and to live on her own terms. The murderer took that away from her when he took her life. Of course I’m scared of the risk, and I’m scared for my family’s lives. But—”
“But what? It’s irresponsible,” Ronnie shot back. “You go around playing amateur sleuth, but real people can get hurt. Your daughters could get hurt!”
Nora felt shaken. “They won’t be.”
“How do you know? The killer could go after them! Zoey is already dead. Justice doesn’t matter to her. Your daughters are important, Nora. Go home and forget Zoey.”
“Why are you so eager to forget her?” Nora asked. “She was your friend, wasn’t she? Or were you just leaning on her because you have nobody else here? You didn’t care for her at all, the friendship was just a convenience? Is that it?”
“You just don’t get it!” Ronnie exclaimed. “I don’t have time, okay? I don’t get time to sleep, I don’t even get time to eat, and I have a million things on my to-do list—”
“Like finding a new place to live?” Nora asked.
Ronnie stared at her with stricken eyes. “What?”
“You’re leaving Tom, aren’t you?” Nora frowned.
“Who told you?” Ronnie stepped forward, grabbing the lapels of Nora’s jacket. “Who told you that!”
“Never mind who…” Nora pushed Ronnie off her, a little more harshly than she mean to. “It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Ronnie said quietly.
“Mrs. Mullally — does she know your plans?” Nora asked. “She’ll be really sad about it, I’m sure.”
“She’s sharp,” Ronnie said. “She guessed it. She told me that I need to try harder, but she didn’t press it. She promised not to tell Tom, either.”
“And she won’t, I’m sure,” Nora said. “But she’s right, you know. What’s happening? Why would you want to leave? Is Tom having an affair?”
“An affair? Tom?” Ronnie laughed and shook her head. “Wish it were that simple. If he were having an affair, I’d leave him and not look back. Right now, I’m a mess of guilt and doubt.”
“But why do you want to leave him, then?”
“It’s...” Ronnie shook her head. “You’ll call me a fool.”
“I won’t,” Nora said gently. “Try me.”
“It’s a hundred small things,” Ronnie explained. “I feel lonely here in Milburn. I’m so far away from my family. My mother had a hip replacement this month and I haven’t even been able to go see her. Tom promised me that we’d visit them more often but then he just keeps on making excuses. He makes excuses about everything. He doesn’t help with the kids, he doesn’t help with the house and, if I nag him, he blames me. I’m just sick of it all. I need a break. I need time alone. I need my family.”
“You don’t break a marriage just because—”
“I know,” Ronnie said. “I don’t want to. But talking to him doesn’t help, yelling at him hasn’t helped and I just can’t take it anymore. I want to take the kids and go live near my parents in Colorado. You can’t tell anyone. Promise me that? Please.”
“I’m not a gossip,” Nora said, her voice quiet but firm. “Ronnie, I know it’s hard to believe, but I don’t want to grill you or make you suffer needlessly. You asked me why I’m taking risks and putting my family at risk just to get Zoey justice. Well, it’s because there are things that matter more. I’ve always believed that. What kind of mother would I be if I took a coward’s way out and bowed down to a bully? What kind of example would I set for my daughters? What manner of friend would I be to Zoey, a woman who was always there for me? I wouldn’t be able to live with it. So as long as I can make a difference, as long as there’s a chance I might catch the killer, I’m going to keep asking questions and, hopefully, getting answers.”
Ronnie sighed. From inside the house, Nora heard the wail of a baby.
“Looks like my little Alex is up from his nap.” Ronnie sighed. “Will you come in? I’ll talk to you. I suppose I have to.”
“Do you want me to come in?” Nora asked. “You were pretty reluctant, the other day.”
“I had suitcases lying out,” Ronnie said. “I was afraid you’d see them and guess I’m moving. I didn’t want that. I suppose it doesn’t matter now.”
*****
It took a while to settle little Alex and his older sister, Allie, but Ronnie managed. Nora sat in the living room, watching as Ronnie spoke softly to the two of them, handing one a toy and the other a book. Both items were soon lying abandoned on the floor, as the kids began a crazy game of what looked to be cops and robbers, chasing each other around the house and screaming happily.
The house was a mess, Nora could see that Ronnie hadn’t been lying about that. Dishes lay all over the sink and toys were scattered around the living room. Various surfaces looked sticky, and one of the sofas had a half-eaten apple and a soggy cookie on it. Ronnie moved around aimlessly, sorting through the mess as best as she could. Nora set to work, rolling up her sleeves and doing the dishes.
“Oh, no. You don’t have to—” Ronnie protested.
“You’re doing me a favor by talking. It’s the least I can do,” Nora said.
“Thanks.” Ronnie smiled, the lines on her face easing a little. “What do you want to know?”
“You were good friends with Zoey, right?”
Ronnie nodded. “Yeah. She didn’t have too many friends here either. Just like me. We were both outsiders, in our own way.”
“Zoey considered herself an outsider? Really?”
Ronnie smiled. “You won’t get it. You belong here. Born here, went to school here, know the ins and outs of this place. Right? Zoey and I, even if we stayed fifty years, would still be outsiders. In some fundamental way we didn’t…don’t…belong.”
“You can’t belong unless you make an effort to,” Nora said gently. “I never see you at club meetings or church.”
“Who has time?” Ronnie sighed. “Well, either way, Zoey was the one adult I saw regularly, week in and week out. So, yeah, I came to depend on her. I think she rather liked being depended on, too. She was lonely. No kids of her own, you know. She was really fond of your Hazel, though. Always talking her up.”
Nora smiled, feeling a twinge in her heart. “Zoey was important to Hazel, too.”
“But still… being nearly sixty, with no husband, no kids and no real social life, I think Zoey was a little more lonely than she ever let on.”
“She had a boyfriend though, right?”
“Matt?” Ronnie shook her head. “Zoey was planning to break up with him. He was really sweet and really crazy about her, but she said she just didn’t feel the spark.”
“So who did she feel for? Her ex?”
“Brock.” Ronnie sighed. “She told me their whole history and I thought going back to him would be a terrible idea. But love is blind, I guess. Zoey said she was convinced he’d changed and that he’d be different this time. She said her own parents weren’t very good to her and that Brock was the only real family she’d ever had in a way.”
“I guess that’s a bond you can’t break even if you want to.”
“Yeah. But, the thing is, I never liked the idea,” Ronnie said. “I guess I was right, too. I’ve heard rumors that Sheriff Ellerton is planning to arrest Brock soon.”
“We’ll see about that,” Nora said. “Ronnie, is that why you were fighting at t
he party with Zoey? Because you didn’t approve of Brock?”
Ronnie shook her head. “No. I mean, honestly, I thought she was old enough to make her own mistakes. I was angry at Zoey because she spilled my secret to Kim and Perry Morris. She told them I needed a new place in Milburn. She had a ridiculous idea that maybe if I stayed in Milburn but moved out of this house for a little bit, Tom would see the light and go back to being a better husband.”
“Oh.”
“That’s not what I want to do. I want to just pack and leave for Colorado. In fact, I’m planning to do it one of these days, as soon as Tom goes to work.”
“But Ronnie—”
“Don’t. Please.” Ronnie put up a hand. “Just do me a favor and come by to make sure Mrs. Mullally is alright, okay? I mean, the nurses drop by twice a day and all but still, someone needs to make sure she has her medicines. I’ll write a list and email you. Just double check on her, will you?”
“Absolutely,” Nora agreed. “But, about that fight with Zoey…”
“Yeah, well, Zoey told me earlier that week that she’d told the Morrises I planned to leave Tom. I exploded at her for sharing my private business. She just told me I was being stupid and she was only trying to help. So that entire week she and I had a bit of a cold war going on.”
“You saw her on Saturday, though.”
“Yeah. She was here at 4 o’clock, but she was really quiet.” Ronnie paused. “At the time, I thought she was just ignoring me, so I ignored her, too. Now I’m not so sure. Maybe she was mulling something over. Maybe. Anyway, she didn’t say anything — just cleaned up and left.”
“And at the party?” Nora asked.
“I finally confronted her,” Ronnie said. “I asked her how long she was going to ignore me. Zoey just looked angry. She said she had too much on her mind and that she couldn’t talk about our fight right then. She made up some weak excuse about having to go mail a package and left.”
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