Old Promises

by Samantha Price

  “Good idea.”

  Ettie agreed. “Neutral shades are always the best.”

  Ava smiled and nodded. “I forgot to tell you that, while I was waiting to tell you my exciting news, Myra came and said she’d call back later.”

  Ettie leaned forward. “What did she say?”

  “Just that she’d stop by tomorrow to see what you’d learned. She didn't tell me what it was about and I didn’t feel like I should ask.”

  “We should tell her, Ettie.”

  “Tell me what?” Ava asked.

  “Wait,” Ettie said, “you’ve got exciting news, Ava?”

  “She means about the room being painted, Ettie,” Elsa-May said. Ava sighed and Elsa-May leaned over and patted her hand. “Don’t worry. I get frustrated with Ettie sometimes too. Ettie, why don’t you tell Ava all about what’s happening with Sparkle?”

  "Sparkle?" Ava gave Ettie a curious look.

  Ettie rolled her eyes and then proceeded to tell Ava the whole story, including the Myra-to-Sparkle name change, and managed to finish just as the whistle of the kettle sounded.

  “What can I do to help? I’ve always gotten along with Myra, um, I should say Sparkle, and I don’t like to see the innocent accused.”

  “She hasn’t been officially accused of anything yet.”

  Ettie said, “She’s being set up. That’s what it sounds like. There can be no other explanation if she’s never seen that bottle before.”

  “That’s right,” Elsa-May said.

  Ettie thought back to when Ava and Myra had last interacted. It was some time ago when they met in Ettie’s house. Ava was so much younger than Myra that they hadn’t grown up together, and Myra had been out of the community for many years.

  Elsa-May said, “If you can do anything, Ava, we’ll let you know.”

  While Ava poured the tea, Ettie nibbled on a fingernail. Somehow, they had to find a way to meet Mrs. Carter and her son and ask them some questions.

  “What’s got you bothered, Ettie?” Elsa-May stared at her sister.

  “I’m just wondering how we can find out more so we can help Myra...Sparkle. My daughter.”

  After Ava had placed their teacups in front of them, she sat back down. “I’ll have to go as soon as I drink this tea. Tea always settles my stomach and lately when I’ve been cooking, I feel slightly sick with the smells of the food.”

  “That’s too bad,” Elsa-May said. “I hope you feel better soon.”

  “I think I’ll get over it. It might take a few months, though.”

  Ettie said, “I’m sure you’ll feel better before that. You must’ve caught some bug that’s been going around.”

  “I’m sure that’s all it is,” Elsa-May agreed before she loudly slurped her tea.

  “No, it’s not a bug. And it’s nothing I caught.” Ava sighed once more.

  “I just hope the detective hurries up and finds the killer,” Ettie said.

  Ava nodded. “I hope so too, for Myra’s sake.” She shook her head. "Sparkle's sake. This new-name business is hard to remember."

  Chapter 9

  The next morning, Elsa-May was taking a break from her knitting. She was cleaning the windows at the front of the house when Ettie heard her call out, “It’s Detective Kelly and he’s just pulled up and is getting out of his car.”

  Ettie looked up from washing the breakfast dishes and yelled back, “Is he smiling?”

  “Is he ever?”

  “Nee,” Ettie said under her breath as she dried her hands on a tea towel. She heard the front door squeak open and went out to see if he had news.

  He gave Ettie a nod after he had greeted Elsa-May. The look on his face told Ettie he had news, alright, but he didn’t have any good news.

  “You’ve got the results back from the toxicology?” Ettie asked.

  “I have, I’m afraid.”

  “Was it poison you found in Myra’s house?” Elsa-May asked.

  “It was.”

  Ettie felt her knees going weak and moved to sit down on the couch while Elsa-May showed Kelly into their small living room. He sat down on a wooden chair opposite Ettie.

  “We pushed through the results. They normally take longer than this, but this time we had the benefit of there being a label on the bottle. It’s an extremely toxic substance. One drop on the skin can kill. Although, I’m told it might not be an instant death, but in some cases it could be.”

  “It was what it said? That poison with the long name?”

  “Yes. That’s right.”

  Ettie fought back tears. Myra had been framed, but how would she prove her innocence? They knew none of the people involved in this apart from Myra, and had just met Alice, the old housekeeper. Alice knew the family, but she hadn’t been living amongst them for years, so she was of no real help.

  “What does that mean for Myra?” Elsa-May asked.

  Kelly blew out a deep breath. “The bottle didn’t have her prints on it, but—”

  “That’s good then, isn’t it?” Elsa-May asked.

  “Not especially because there were no prints at all. The bottle had been wiped clean.”

  Ettie and Elsa-May stared at each other and then looked back at Kelly.

  “Myra was set up—framed," said Ettie in a shaky voice. "Whoever planted it there wiped off the prints.”

  “As I said earlier, we’re looking into every possibility, but so far we’re drawing a blank every direction we turn.”

  Ettie was bitterly disappointed to hear that news.

  “As Sparkle might have told you, we’ve taken her crystals for testing. We need to find if this substance is on any of her other crystals. We don’t want more people dropping dead.”

  “Of course not. That would be dreadful.”

  “And when do you find that out?” Ettie asked.

  “It’s a very time-consuming and hazardous process, considering the toxicity of the substance we’re dealing with.”

  Elsa-May leaned forward. “If you don’t mind me asking, who did Ian leave his money to?”

  “I’m afraid that’s something I can’t tell you at this stage.”

  “It wasn’t Myra, was it?” Ettie asked.

  “Ettie’s right. Whoever he left the money to is obviously the guilty party,” Elsa-May said.

  A smirk twitched around Kelly’s lips. “Interesting you should say that.”

  “Why’s that?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t say. The official reading of the will is on Friday, and Sparkle will be in attendance.”

  Ettie gasped. “You mean Sparkle was named in the will?”

  “That would be obvious, wouldn’t it? If she wasn’t named in the will she wouldn’t need to be there.”

  “She never mentioned anything to us,” Ettie said.

  “She might not have known when she last talked to you,” Kelly said.

  Ettie wished Elsa-May had never mentioned anything about the guilty party being left something in the will. Not that Kelly would listen to anything she said, but it sure wouldn’t have helped, sending his thoughts in that direction.

  He stood up. “Well, I just wanted to deliver that news to you in person.”

  “Thank you for taking time out of your day to come over and tell us.”

  Ettie nodded. “Yes. We appreciate that very much.”

  “It’s no trouble. I was out this way.”

  Ettie stayed in her seat while Elsa-May showed Kelly to the door. When Elsa-May sat back down, Ettie said, “This is not good. It just isn’t good. I’m sick to my stomach.”

  “I know, but don’t panic just yet.”

  Elsa-May clasped her hands together. “Myra always gets herself into scrapes.”

  “We can’t look back, we can only look forward.”

  “I know. Where do we go from here?” Ettie asked.

  “Nowhere.”

  “What?”

  “Where’s Snowy?” Elsa-May looked over at the empty dog bed. “He might be outside?” While E
ttie was still sitting there worrying about what was going to happen with Myra, Elsa-May looked in the backyard. “He’s not out here either!”

  “He didn’t get outside when Kelly came here, did he?”

  “The door was ajar when we showed Kelly out.”

  Ettie pushed herself up off the couch. “He must’ve sneaked out then. Quick, grab the lead we’ll have to find him.”

  Elsa-May grabbed the leash from its hook behind the door and they walked down the porch steps calling and whistling to him.

  “You go that way and I’ll go this way,” Elsa-May ordered.

  “Look! There he is.” Ettie saw the white dog darting about on the neighboring driveway. He stopped still, looked at them and then went toward the new neighbors' front door. Just as they were at the bottom of the neighbors' driveway, hurrying toward him, they saw Snowy lift his leg. He relieved himself on one of the five leather suitcases by the door.

  “Did you see what your dog just did?” Ettie said, horrified.

  “Oh dear. This isn’t a good way to make friends with the new neighbors.” Snowy scampered toward Elsa-May and she leaned down and picked him up. “Naughty boy. What were you thinking?”

  “You’ll have to tell them what happened. Ask if they’ll give us a rag and some water so we can clean it up.”

  “Right.” Elsa-May walked forward and knocked on the door. She waited a while and then knocked again, this time a little louder. “No one’s home.”

  Ettie produced an old handkerchief out of her sleeve. “Just as well this is an old one.” She wet it from the outside tap, and then wiped the suitcase the best she could, moving it clear of the wet spot. “That will have to do.”

  Elsa-May clipped the leash onto Snowy’s collar and then placed him down on the ground. “He’s never done anything like this before.”

  “Not that we’ve seen. We’ll have to keep a better eye on him.”

  “Normally, he’s all over Detective Kelly, and this time he ignored him to slip out the door.”

  “Kelly’s bad news and solemn face might have scared him.”

  “Maybe.”

  When they got Snowy safely back home, their thoughts turned again to Myra.

  “Why don’t we pay Myra a visit and see if there’s anything that she’s forgotten to tell us?” proposed Ettie.

  “You mean something she’s kept from us?”

  “It’s not unusual for friends to leave other friends something in their wills, but I wonder if he was anything more than a client and a friend?”

  “Mmm, I wondered that too, especially with Ronald out of the country.” Elsa-May’s eyebrows rose. “We know that’s what the wife thought.”

  “Get your coat on. Let’s see what she has to say now that we know Ian’s left her something in his will.”

  Chapter 10

  Myra’s house was in a street full of nice houses and it fit in well. It was painted white with a gray-shingled roof, and in the front was a well-looked-after garden. Ettie had half expected her to live in something that looked like a medieval haunted castle, with gargoyles at the rooftop corners and huge lions protecting the front door. Possibly even a couple of crows flying overhead.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Ettie asked Elsa-May.

  “Jah. It’s lovely.”

  They walked through the gate of the white picket fence and up the sidewalk, and Elsa-May pressed the doorbell. Myra opened it and then unlocked the security screen standing between them.

  “Come in.”

  Elsa-May looked Myra up and down as she walked in. “Sorry to catch you in your dressing gown, Myra.”

  Myra looked down at what she was wearing. “It's Sparkle, Aunt, and this isn’t my dressing gown.”

  “Ach, jah, Sparkle.” Elsa-May looked her up and down again. “Are you sure it’s not a dressing gown?”

  “Yes. This is a dress.”

  “You could wear it as a dressing gown if you wanted to.”

  “Thanks for the fashion advice, but I hope you don’t get offended if I don’t take it.”

  “Can we talk to you for a few minutes?” Ettie asked Myra, nudging Elsa-May out of the way.

  “We’re talking now, aren’t we, Mother?”

  “Ettie means, 'Can we sit down and talk?'” Elsa-May said.

  “Fine.” Myra walked further into the house, and called over her shoulder, “Come through to the sunroom.”

  They made their way down a long hallway full of strange paintings and posters, mostly of bald men sitting cross-legged meditating. At the end of the hallway was a light-filled room that overlooked the back garden.

  Elsa-May and Ettie sat on a couch covered by a tassled throw. “You have a beautiful house, Sparkle.”

  “Thank you, Aunt. I like it. If you’ll notice, there’s lots of fresh air and light coming into this house. It’s very different from your house, Mother. Your house has no ventilation and you keep those curtains closed all the time.”

  “If I have a breeze on me I start to cough.”

  Myra rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s all in your head.”

  Elsa-May said, “The detective let slip to us that you’re going to be at the reading of the will.”

  “Yes, I’ve only just found out myself. Ian’s left me something. That was thoughtful.”

  “Do you have any idea what it is?” Ettie asked.

  “No. I have to wait to find out. It won’t be much because he had two sons and two wives. The wives act fairly friendly with each other, considering, but the will might end all that.” Myra breathed out heavily. “I’ve got an idea he might have left me his crystal collection.”

  “According to the housekeeper—the old former housekeeper, Ian’s first son also likes crystals.”

  Myra nodded. “That’s true. He’s a member of the society. Angelo and his father didn’t get along, though. I truly think Ian would rather me have his collection.”

  “Why didn’t they get along if they had the same interests?”

  “That’s all they had in common, from what Ian told me.”

  “Strange Ian would leave you something. I know you said he was a good friend, but is there any reason he’d—”

  Sharply, Myra cut Ettie off. “All right, if you must know, there was a flirtation between us. Nothing more, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Ronald thought there was something more to it, and that’s why he chose this time to chase up some loose ends with that old case.”

  “But Ian’s a married man.” Elsa-May’s face scrunched into a sour expression.

  “You can’t help who you fall in love with, Aunt.”

  “Jah, you can. You jolly well can.” Elsa-May’s eyes bugged out.

  Myra sighed. “Don’t get your bloomers in a twist. I wasn’t in love with him anyway. I was trying to make a point just now. It’s hard talking to the both of you because you don’t live in the real world. We were just friends, like I said before, but good friends. He liked me more than I liked him but it was a purely platonic relationship.”

  “Don’t you see how bad this looks for you now, with you being named in the will?” Ettie asked.

  “I can tell what it looks like and I can’t do anything about it. I just want to be able to grieve alone without all this nonsense going on. I’ve done nothing wrong and I’ve had no time to be sad over losing a friend.”

  “Who, Crowley?” Elsa-May asked.

  Ettie got in before Myra, and answered, “She means Ian.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us how close you were to him?”

  “I thought I did. I told you we sat and talked about our lives over green tea after his appointments were finished. Anyway, what does it matter? I’m a grown woman and I don’t need a lecture.”

  “We’re just worried about you and want the best for you, that’s all,” Elsa-May said.

  Myra’s bottom lip trembled and she hung her head. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

  Ettie didn’t know what to say to comfort her. It was sad that they we
ren’t close, and if Myra went to jail, she’d waste away. That led Ettie to wonder if she had a good lawyer. With all her clients leaving her now that the news was out about her being suspected in Ian’s death, did she need money? “And, how are you doing financially now?”

  “I’m fine. I’m comfortable and don’t need to work anymore, so it’s neither here nor there that most of my clients have left me. It’s affected my reputation, but not my lifestyle.” Myra blinked rapidly and stared at the ceiling. “Perhaps all this has happened because my feng shui needs attending to.”

  “Your what?” Ettie asked.

  “Never mind,” Myra said weakly.

  “I suppose the detective knows about your relationship with Ian?” Elsa-May asked.

  “You make it sound so awful. We weren’t having an affair or anything. Then again, if you want to get technical, it could’ve been classed as an emotional affair. We relied on each other for emotional support.”

  “What about Crowley? Didn’t he emotionally support you?” Elsa-May asked.

  “He doesn’t understand my spirituality. He doesn’t mind what I do with my crystal healing and so forth, but he just doesn’t get it. Ian and I just clicked in that department. He recognized my gift.”

  “Your gift of crystal healing?” Elsa-May asked.

  “That’s right,” Myra agreed.

  Ettie shook her head, wondering how she could’ve produced such a daughter. “I wish we could’ve known all this in the first place,” Ettie muttered.

  “As I said before, it doesn’t make any difference because I’m not guilty. I didn’t kill him and I didn’t give him a poisoned crystal to take home with him, or any crystal. Besides that, I only heal with double-terminated crystals and the one they showed me a photo of, that they said had the poison, wasn’t even double terminated. I haven’t seen that crystal before in my life.”

  “How would you remember all the crystals you’ve ever seen?” Ettie asked. “I’m assuming you would’ve seen quite a few.”

  “I have, and it’s because that crystal had a particularly distinctive black tourmaline crystal in the center of it and a smaller one below it. I’ve got quartz crystals that have tourmaline crystals in them, but they’re much smaller.”