Out of the Picture

by Tracy Gardner

  Jordan pressed a button on the small black recorder on his desk and picked up a pen resting on a yellow legal pad. “So, Savanna, could you tell me what you were doing at Caroline Carson’s house the night Eleanor Pietila passed?”

  “I’d brought Caroline some of my work—paintings—to look at. I’m doing a mural for her.”

  “And I understand from what you and Dr. Gallager told Detective Taylor, the three of you—Mrs. Carson, yourself and Mrs. Pietila—were each served a glass of red wine by Mrs. Carson’s granddaughter Lauren?” He was jotting notes as she talked.

  “That’s right. But Eleanor is the only one who drank the wine.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Oh. Uh, Caroline and I were talking, I think.”

  “Where was Dr. Gallager?”

  “Upstairs. At first. But then he came in to talk to Caroline.” She and Caroline had been standing at the picture window, talking about her heart, Savanna recalled.

  “And which of you noticed something was wrong with Mrs. Pietila?”

  “Um…I think we all did. Her glass fell. I think that’s what got our attention. She was slumped over in her chair. She seemed to have passed out. Dr. Gallager moved her to the floor and put a pillow under her legs.” It had been so awful, watching poor Eleanor, lifeless and pale as Aidan had tried to save her. Savanna felt shaky all over again, remembering.

  “Did she ever regain consciousness? Did she speak at all?”

  Skylar spoke up. “That would be a question for Dr. Gallager. My sister took Mrs. Carson out of the room at that point.”

  Savanna looked gratefully at Skylar. “The doctor suggested I take Caroline to the other room and call 911. Which I did. I mean, I called 911 while we were walking to the living room. I didn’t see Eleanor again. The ambulance came…we called Caroline’s granddaughter to come back…then when I went to go check on things, Aidan—Dr. Gallager—was coming to talk to us. It was over.” Savanna shook her head. She still remembered how defeated he’d looked that night.

  “Back up, please. You said you called the granddaughter to come back. She’d left?”

  “Yes. I think that’s just her routine. She’s there every day helping Caroline. But she doesn’t live there.”

  “So Mrs. Carson told you to call her when this happened with Eleanor?”

  “Oh.” Savanna remembered. “No. Actually, Lauren called the house.”

  “The granddaughter who’d just left called the house?”

  “Yes.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “She…” Savanna drew a blank. “I don’t think she said why she called.”

  “So the granddaughter, Lauren, called, and who answered the phone? You?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “It was the house phone, in the kitchen. I guess I wanted to save Caroline the walk. She’s almost ninety, and she was very upset,” Savanna said.

  “What did Lauren say when you spoke to her?”

  “She asked if Caroline was all right, and then I told her what had happened to Eleanor. She said she’d come back.”

  “Just to be clear,” Jordan said. “You said the granddaughter asked if Caroline was all right before you told her something had happened to Eleanor.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would the granddaughter have called to ask if Caroline was all right? She’d just left her.”

  Skylar interjected. “Jordan, anything my sister answers to that is going to be speculation on her part. You know that. She can’t guess at intention.”

  Jordan pursed his lips. “Sure, right.” He scrawled another something on his note pad, illegible to anyone but him. He looked back up at Savanna. “Can you think of anything else I should add?”

  “I assumed,” Savanna said, “when Lauren asked if Caroline was okay that she was probably asking simply because she was surprised to still find me there.”

  “Sure. Is that part of Lauren’s routine, to call her grandmother at night shortly after she’s left?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe.”

  “Okay. Did you happen to see the bottle of wine Lauren served from?”

  “No…but she talked about it being a unique, pretty bottle. It came with the grocery delivery that day.”

  Jordan scrawled on his pad. “From Happy Family, I assume? The smaller store doesn’t offer delivery, I’m fairly sure.”

  “Yes, Happy Family.” Savanna paused. To mention Amber or not? Well, if Amber was completely uninvolved, it couldn’t hurt to mention her, right? “Caroline’s delivery girl is named Amber. I passed her on my way in.”

  “Good to know. Savanna, other than the grocery delivery service and Dr. Gallager, who else has access to Mrs. Carson’s home?”

  Savanna glanced wide-eyed at Skylar. “Well, everyone,” she said, Skylar murmuring her agreement. “She’s renovating right now. There are always people in and out. I can’t even begin to say who exactly has access…but Caroline makes it clear that she expects people to just come in and take care of their business.”

  Jordan sighed, looking at the sisters. “She doesn’t lock her doors?”

  “I’ve never found them locked,” Skylar said.

  “In the days surrounding Eleanor Pietila’s death, can you tell me who exactly was in and out of Mrs. Carson’s house? Can anyone?”

  Savanna considered this. “Caroline’s granddaughter probably has the best idea of everyone who was in and out. In general, it’s been family members, me, the grocery delivery lady, a couple of handymen, her friends occasionally…I’m honestly not sure who else.”

  “Okay.” The detective sat back. “One last question. Were you present during the book club meeting that took place earlier in the evening?”

  “No,” Savanna replied. “I came in as they were finishing up. Everyone left about ten minutes after I arrived.”

  “And did you notice if refreshments had been served during that meeting?”

  Savanna closed her eyes, frowning. Had there been?

  The detective, for once, remained quiet, not pushing.

  “Lauren was cleaning up when I came,” she said, remembering. “Something must have been served. She was carrying a tray of empty cups and plates, and she ran the dishwasher before she left.”

  “And how long after the book club members left was it that Eleanor fell unconscious?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Twenty minutes? More? How long did you visit with Mrs. Carson?”

  “I’m really not sure. My meeting with her was set for seven thirty. And I called 911…” Savanna pulled out her phone, immediately seeing that message from Aidan that she hadn’t responded to. She scrolled through her outgoing calls until she found the E.M.S. call two weeks ago. “I called 911 at 8:02 pm.”

  Jordan nodded, his pen working. “Good to know,” he said again. He pushed his chair back, standing. “All set. Quick and painless, right?” He smiled, and it transformed his face.

  Savanna couldn’t remember why he’d seemed intimidating now. “Detective,” she said, standing with Skylar, “just out of curiosity. Why did you come to my school?”

  “Oh.” He looked sheepish. “Your, uh, sister. Sydney Shepherd. When I pulled your information to come talk to you, you had Sydney’s address listed as your primary residence,” he said, glancing from her to Skylar.

  “That’s right. It’s temporary.” Savanna still didn’t understand.

  “It’s just that Sydney and I dated a while ago. And it didn’t end in the, uh, best possible way, so I thought…maybe I should find you at work. I’m sorry if I surprised you.”

  Savanna exchanged an amused glance with Skylar and said, “We should have known.”

  Skylar shook hands with the detective as they left. “Thank you, Jordan. I knew we could trust you to get to the bottom of
this. Caroline Carson is very dear to us. I hope you’ll find that the incident with Eleanor wasn’t somehow aimed at Caroline. After her fall on the stairway that I told you about, we’re a little spooked.”

  Jordan walked them out. “It’s good to be cautious. I’ll look into this further, and I’ll keep you updated on any developments. Try not to worry,” he told them both.

  Savanna dropped Skylar off at her office with plenty of time to spare. She grabbed her and gave her a big hug before Skylar could get out of the car, thanking her.

  “Don’t worry about it, I’m happy to help,” Skylar said. “I was thinking, maybe it wouldn’t hurt if we kept a kind of tally of who’s in and out of Caroline’s house. At least during the times you’re there. Just in case…”

  Savanna shivered. “Just in case something else happens. Yeah. You’re right. I’ll be there tomorrow after work. I’m going to talk to Caroline if I can find a way to bring it up. She’s too trusting, and it’s going to end up getting her hurt.”

  “Good luck with that conversation.”

  “I was thinking too,” Savanna said, “I really need to look for my own place.”

  Skylar laughed. “Why, just because Sydney’s dated a few of Carson’s finest?”

  “I can’t blame her.” Savanna shrugged. “I think I remember her talking about a Nick last year. Was he the one she got to adopt that shelter dog from Lake Haven?”

  “Oh! He might be,” Skylar said. “I’ll ask him next time I see him.”

  “At least she left him better off than he was before, right? Who doesn’t love rescuing a dog?” Savanna smiled. “Hey, can you text me the name of your real estate lady? There are some really cute Cape Cods close to the lake, at the south end of town. They need work, but they might be in my price range.”

  “And we do know a great contractor.” Skylar winked. “So, does this mean you’re planting roots? We aren’t losing you to Chicago again?”

  Savanna shook her head. “Not a chance. I’m so glad to be back where I belong.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Caroline?” Ringing the doorbell had yielded no response, so Savanna pulled the screen door open and poked her head in. Many people in Carson were in the habit of leaving their doors unlocked; Caroline wasn’t the only one. It had never seemed strange to Savanna until she’d moved to Chicago. First in the dorms, and then on her own, she’d retrained herself to always keep her door locked. Nobody in the city left their place unlocked—it just wasn’t done. Now, back in her usually safe little hometown, where everyone knew everyone and even her own parents hadn’t used a house key in years, Savanna found the practice to be naïve and worrisome. Caroline had probably been leaving her doors unlocked her whole adult life; Savanna doubted she could convince her to change that.

  Lauren’s car wasn’t in the drive, but Aidan’s was. He was probably there checking on her ankle. Savanna hated interrupting a medical visit. She’d just say a quick hello without interrupting, and then get to painting. She’d brought Fonzie with her again. He didn’t cause any trouble, and she knew he missed her during the day, especially if Sydney didn’t have him at the shop.

  She entered the foyer, noting the stairway railing had been reinstalled; there was new plaster applied to the holes in the wall, awaiting paint. Harlan had mentioned Sunday night that he’d go take care of the railing, and he sure hadn’t wasted any time.

  “Caroline,” she called again. Fonzie trotted ahead of her as she slowly made her way through the house toward the parlor and her mural. Laughter came from the kitchen. Savanna found Caroline and Aidan seated at the kitchen table, enjoying a delicious-looking chocolate cake.

  Aidan spotted Savanna, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Savanna, hi.” He stood, moving toward her for a moment. Then he hesitated and settled for pulling the chair out next to him.

  Caroline waved her over. “Join us, my dear! Your father brought this yesterday when he came to repair the railing, and it’s wonderful. Your mother has always been quite the baker. Dr. Gallager, would you be a doll and get Savanna a piece? I’m a little indisposed right now.” She waved a hand at her leg that was propped on pillows on the kitchen chair next to her.

  “Sure,” Aidan said, grinning at Savanna as he moved past her to the cupboard for a plate. “She insisted I try some. She isn’t going to take no for an answer from you either.”

  “And I thought country doctors exchanging services for baked goods was just a myth,” Savanna murmured, smiling up at him.

  He winked at her. “Shows what you know. I always accept payment in chocolate cake.”

  Savanna leaned down and hugged Caroline before taking her seat. “You look great, Caroline, as usual. How are you feeling?” She eyed the bulky plastic boot covering her foot and lower leg.

  “Not too bad. Please be sure to thank your parents for me. They’re so kind to look out for me.”

  Aidan set a piece of cake and glass of milk in front of Savanna, and added a fork and napkin, taking his own seat again.

  Savanna took a bite, feeling Aidan looking at her. Why, for goodness’ sake, why did she look like she hadn’t bought new clothes since she was a teenager every single time she encountered Aidan? Today’s painting outfit was different, at least, from the other day: the faded, torn jeans and Harry Potter tee had been replaced with loose green cargo pants and a time-worn Johnny Cash shirt that used to belong to Charlotte. Maybe she did need new clothes.

  “You never called last night,” Aidan said.

  “Oh! I’m sorry.” Savanna had assumed he was just being nice; she hadn’t wanted to bother him with a phone call by the time she’d arrived home last night. He must be busy with Mollie, and it had sounded like he’d had a long day in surgery.

  “Did everything go all right?” He tipped his head, watching her. “You know, with the…the thing.”

  Savanna nodded. “Yes, it was fine. The—uh—meeting was easier than I expected.” She glanced at Caroline, then back at Aidan. She knew what he was doing, but it was a bad idea to shield Caroline from the truth about what might be going on in her own house. She put a hand on Caroline’s arm. “Dr. Gallager and I need to tell you something, Caroline.”

  Aidan was frowning at her; Savanna could feel it without even looking at him.

  “We have to tell you,” she continued, “because your safety is at stake. So this is something you really should know.”

  “My safety? What is it?” Caroline put her fork down.

  Aidan spoke up. “We don’t want to alarm you, Caroline, but there are things we’d like you to be aware of.”

  “We think someone may be trying to hurt you. And it might have started with Eleanor,” Savanna said.

  “There were some disturbing results with the autopsy,” Aidan said haltingly. “I don’t believe she died of natural causes.”

  Caroline was shaking her head. “This doesn’t make any sense. Eleanor had a heart attack.”

  “She may not have,” Aidan said. “There was a substance in her system that didn’t belong there. We think the only explanation is that she ate or drank something that was tampered with.”

  “But…she was here, with me. With us, for book club.” Caroline looked from Aidan to Savanna. “You mean she was poisoned? Here? How?”

  “We aren’t sure,” Savanna said. “But I think it’s likely that whoever is responsible was trying to get to you, not Eleanor.”

  “No. Lauren and I prepared all of the food beforehand. We only had tea and finger sandwiches. And cookies Lauren picked up from Pop’s Bakery next to Fancy Tails.”

  “And wine,” Savanna said quietly.

  “Wine?” Caroline looked puzzled.

  “Lauren served the three of us a claret, after your book club friends left. Remember?”

  “Ah. Yes…but we barely had a chance to drink it. I don’t think I touched mine.”

&nb
sp; “And I didn’t, either,” Savanna said. “But Eleanor did.”

  “Her glass was empty when she dropped it,” Caroline murmured. “Oh, my.” Her hand went to her throat as she stared at Aidan and Savanna.

  He leaned forward. “Can you think of any reason someone might want to hurt you, Caroline?”

  Her response was immediate. “No! Of course not.”

  “Do you know what happened to that bottle of wine? Have you seen it at all?”

  “No…I haven’t seen it since that day. It was on the kitchen counter with the groceries. Lauren must have put it away.”

  Savanna spoke up. “I asked Lauren. She hasn’t seen it either. We also aren’t sure exactly what happened with the handrail on your stairway.”

  Caroline gave Savanna a stern look. “Of course we are. It was an accident. These century-old walls aren’t always the sturdiest. I don’t blame anyone for that.”

  “It was just a thought,” Savanna said, putting her hands up. “My dad says Bill Lyle knows his stuff, that he’d have known how to correctly secure that railing.”

  “So you’re suggesting…what? That Bill conspired to poison Eleanor, and then rigged the railing so I would fall?” Caroline was shaking her head.

  “No,” Savanna said, “not necessarily.” She looked at Aidan for help.

  “We’re just worried about you, Caroline,” he said. “We don’t know yet what might have happened with Eleanor. And maybe the railing incident was just an accident. But you have to admit, it seems strange, in light of Eleanor and the autopsy results.”

  “We don’t want anything else to happen to you,” Savanna said, taking Caroline’s hand in hers. She knew she’d upset her. “I know you can’t imagine anyone trying to hurt you. And I know you trust Bill and Maggie.” She paused. “I heard them arguing outside, the morning he was here working on the stairs. She was angry at him for not doing something he’d promised.”

  “That could be over anything.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “Those two fight all the time. I think all of this is farfetched. You don’t need to worry about me. Maybe Eleanor’s results are wrong.”