Murder So Deadly

by Eileen Curley Hammond

  Sandy joined us. “Was there something, in particular, you were looking for?”

  I shook my head. “I wanted to see the new store. I do have a dinner I’m going to this Saturday, but it’ll be a relaxed affair.”

  She led me to one of the racks. “This is where we have our more casual wear.”

  I held up a black and white shirt embossed with cats. “This is nice.”

  Patty shook her head.

  I put it back. She dangled a turquoise blouse, enhanced by small gold flecks, in front of me. “This does great things for your eyes.”

  I took it from her and stood in front of the mirror. “I do like this. Let me try it on.” I ducked into one of the changing rooms.

  The bell rang. April said, “Welcome to our store. The grand opening’s not until next week, but please have a look around.”

  Wanda said, “I have an event coming up, and I need something dressy. I would have gone into the city, but I was on my way to my son’s and saw your store. Silly really. I’m sure you don’t have anything I’ll like.”

  I groaned and leaned against the changing room door. I put on the blouse and walked out. “Hello, Wanda.”

  She looked me up and down. “Finally you’re wearing something that actually looks good on you.”

  April’s mouth gaped. I shrugged. “April meet Wanda Jenson. Wanda is Rob’s mother.”

  Wanda pointed to April. “Merry will take that blouse. Put it on my bill. Now, where do you have your more formal things?”

  Sandy took Wanda to the other side of the store. Patty sidled up to me and whispered, “Well at least she’s paying for it. That shirt was expensive.”

  “I noticed.” I went into the changing room and put my shirt back on. I came out and handed the new one to April. “I guess I’ll take it.”

  She lined a box with tissue paper and then carefully folded the shirt. She wrapped the box and decorated it with a bow. I picked up the package. “You didn’t have to go to all that trouble; you could have just put it in a bag.”

  “It’s more fun this way. When you get home, you’ll feel like you received a gift. We do this for everything sold in our store. It makes the shopping experience more special.”

  I smiled. “I can’t wait to wear it.”

  Wanda walked by on the way to the changing rooms. I touched her arm. “Thanks for the shirt.”

  “You’re welcome.” She turned on her heel and shut the changing room door after her.

  Patty and I walked out the door. She laughed. “That woman isn’t the most pleasant person in the world by a long shot.”

  I giggled and held up the box. “She is not. But at least I got the shirt as payment for putting up with her. Do you have to get home?”

  “No, I still have time.”

  “Let’s get a drink at the Pickled Herring.”

  We walked in and sat at the bar. Ann came over. “Your usual?”

  Patty and I nodded. Then I blurted, “And mozzarella sticks.”

  “You got it.”

  Patty set her purse on the bar top. “Spill, what’s going on?”

  I held up my finger. Ann put two glasses of wine on the counter. I put twenty-five dollars on the bar. “I’m paying tonight.” I sipped my wine. “It’s Drew,” I told her everything that had been going on.

  “Wow. I’m sure Jenny’s not a happy camper.”

  “Understatement. Am I doing the wrong thing? Do you think I should let her go?”

  She gripped my elbow. “Someone has to be the adult, but it’ll be difficult until she gets over it.”

  My head drooped. “If she ever does.”

  “She will. She loves you. Though I don’t know if I’d forgive you for keeping me from London.”

  I punched her arm.

  “Ow. Kidding.”

  Chapter 18

  I knocked on Jenny’s door the next morning. Nothing. I knocked again. “I need to speak with you.” The door swung open.

  “What?”

  “Here’s a shipping envelope. You need to take the ticket to the Post Office today and send it back. Make sure you get it insured. If your father had purchased an electronic ticket, we wouldn’t have to go through all this extra work.”

  She grabbed the envelope from my hand. “Fine.” The door slammed.

  “Jenny, it’s the right decision.”

  Silence.

  I retreated down the stairs. A cup of coffee later, I felt more at peace with the world. Scrolling through my calendar for the day, I noted that Cheryl had added lunch with Rob. It would be good to see him; I’d been busy the past few days. I gathered my things and headed out the door.

  Alex’s easel faced the alley. I walked up the slight hill and looked over her shoulder. “Pretty. Your flowers are doing so well.”

  “Manure. It helps.” Her paintbrush never paused.

  “I have a question for you.”

  She dabbed a little more red onto the canvas. “Yes?”

  “You said that you argued with Richard at Delightful Bites.”

  “I don’t know that I argued. It was more like Richard telling me off.”

  I waved my hand. “Whichever. The thing is this town is porous when it comes to secrets. It’s surprising that no one seemed to have seen you two there.”

  “You asked people about me?” She put her paintbrush down.

  I put my hand to my chest. “Rob, Ed, and I talked about it the night of your dinner party. We thought it was odd we hadn’t heard about it before then.” I left out the part where I asked Patty and Gary about the incident.

  “I’m disappointed in you, Merry. I thought you were a friend. Richard and I were the first ones there, around six. People in this town aren’t up and about by then.” She picked up the painting and easel.

  “But Gary—”

  “Gary wasn’t there that morning. His wife wasn’t feeling well. That new clerk was there.” She snapped her fingers. “Kelly. She didn’t last long.”

  “Oh.”

  She brushed past on her way into her house.

  I stood there for a moment. It could have happened. Either way, she hadn’t been upfront about her marriage. My phone buzzed. I jumped. Time to move.

  The morning seemed sped up. At noon, Cheryl knocked at my door. “You’re going to be late for lunch with Rob.”

  I hurried to the Golden Skillet. Rob waited for me outside. He hugged me. “I’ve missed you.” I relished his embrace for a few beats too long. His green eyes examined me. “Are you all right?”

  I let go. “I’m fine. And hungry.”

  The host showed us to a table. I sat and opened the menu. “I always order the same thing. Today I’m going to get something different.” I placed the menu to the side.

  He put his down on top of mine. “I saw Jenny going into the post office.”

  “Good. She must have mailed Drew’s ticket back. I thought she’d hold off longer. Hopefully, she’ll be more pleasant to be around now that everything’s been decided.”

  “Has it been bad?”

  The waitress walked up. My eyes widened. “Kelly, right? Didn’t you use to work at Delightful Bites?”

  She smiled. “Only for a few weeks. The early mornings killed me. Are you ready to order?”

  “Do you mind if I ask a question first?”

  The host sat someone in the booth behind us. Kelly’s gaze shifted in that direction. “If it’s quick. I got another table.”

  “Do you know Alex Danford?”

  She tapped her pencil on her pad. “Chic Bohemian lady, long gray hair?”

  “Yes. Do you remember her and a man arguing at Delightful Bites a few weeks ago?”

  “Vaguely. He was all starch and clean lines, and she wore a painting smock and Birkenstock’s. I was surprised they even knew each other. It got a little heated. I wasn’t paying much attention. They got there so early I barely had time for a quick gulp of coffee. The only thing I remember was how red Ms. Danford was after he stormed out. She looked like sh
e was going to cry and left before I could say anything to her.” She shifted from foot to foot. “Are you ready to order?” We did.

  I turned back to Rob. “So Alex was telling the truth. Or at least part of it. She said she was past Richard.”

  “Do you still care for Drew?”

  “That’s different. It seems like he goes out of his way to make my life miserable.”

  “Speaking of which, what’s going on with Jenny?”

  “It hasn’t been pleasant. I love my daughter, and she’s a smart girl, but she can’t seem to understand why this is such a bad idea.”

  He touched my hand. “Likely the emotion of it all. And the chance to see London.”

  I groaned. “Patty said that too. I guess I’ll have to try and swing a trip there either next year at spring break or next summer. This summer will be pretty crazy with college trips.”

  The food arrived. I cut into the tuna melt and took a bite. “This is delicious. It was the right choice. Nice and comforting. Speaking of which, I ran into your mother yesterday.”

  “I’m not sure how nice and comforting my mother is.”

  “She was in April and Sandy’s new shop, C’est Magnifique.”

  “I’m covering their grand opening next week. I heard they’re going to be serving champagne.”

  “Maybe I’ll join you.” I grinned.

  “What did my mother have to say?”

  “She was quite complimentary about the blouse I tried on. In fact, she bought it for me as a gift. You’ll get to see it on Saturday when we go to the Greens’ for dinner.”

  He caressed my hand. “I can’t wait. You look good in everything.”

  “Flatterer. Have you heard anything more about Richard’s case?”

  “The police questioned both Mac and my mother. According to her, nothing new came up. They told Jay they were together all afternoon.”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Rob came to the house early to pick me up for dinner at the Greens’. Jenny walked through the kitchen on her way out and barely acknowledged his presence. His eyebrow rose. “Not quite over it yet, is she?”

  “How could you tell?” I put a cake into a carrier. “Ready to go?”

  He picked up the bottle of wine and extended his hand to the cake carrier. “Want me to take that too?”

  I surrendered it and locked the door behind me.

  We pulled up to the Greens’ house. My mouth dropped. The landscape was completely changed. A four-foot wrought-iron fence surrounded the yard. New trees and boxwoods had been planted, and water trickled somewhere nearby. “Diedra said she’d been gardening, but this is incredible. How did they get so much done since we picked them up for the church festival?”

  Rob rang the doorbell. Kevin answered, took the wine and cake, and ushered us in. The living room still had lovely wood molding, but the look was far cozier due to the overstuffed sofas and vibrant art. I said, “This is lovely. You’ve done a nice job transforming the place. A client of mine used to live here.”

  “Thanks. We haven’t changed that much inside. Most of our work has been outside.”

  He led us into the kitchen. Diedra was basting a chicken. Rob leaned over her shoulder. “That smells delicious.”

  She smiled. “It’s the tarragon. It smells like licorice.” She held up a discarded stem for Rob to smell.

  “I can’t wait.”

  “It’ll be a little while yet. This needs to go back into the oven.” She opened the stove and put the chicken back in. “I love your blouse, Merry.”

  “Thanks, Rob’s mom gave it to me.”

  Diedra smiled. “How nice.”

  Kevin asked, “Is this a good time for the garden tour?”

  “Perfect. Would anyone care for a drink? We’ll have munchies to tide you over outside.” Diedra added grapes to a tray with cheese and dried fruit.

  I said, “Wine for me.”

  “Same,” Rob echoed.

  Kevin poured four glasses and handed them around. Diedra gave him the tray and pointed to the far corner of the garden. “Let’s start by the pond.”

  I followed her lead. Bluestone pavers formed a meandering path leading past herb gardens and roses to an iris lined pond. Golden butterfly koi glimmered in the water. “I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done.”

  “We didn’t do it all ourselves. We’re getting too old for that. We had that nice young man who runs the local nursery bring his crew in.”

  “Why do you have a net over the pond?”

  Kevin said, “To keep the herons out. In our last place, a heron ate a koi that was five years old. It was a golden koi like these, named Daisy.”

  Rob asked, “Do you have names for these yet?”

  “The kids name them. They haven’t been here since we put the fish in a week or so ago.”

  A small stream emerged into a trickling waterfall. It was peaceful. “Are those goldfish?” I motioned toward the fish peeking out from under a rock.

  “Yes. They’re shubunkins. See their calico pattern?”

  “So pretty. And is that thyme between the pavers over there?”

  “Wait until it gets going. It’ll cover the stones if we’re not careful. And it releases such a nice odor when walked on.”

  There was a small cocktail table with bistro chairs near the pond. Kevin extended his hand. “Let’s sit here and talk.”

  We sat. He placed the nibbles on the table. I closed my eyes. “I could fall right asleep.” I sat up abruptly. “Not that I’m bored. I’d find anything you have to say interesting.”

  Diedra’s laugh tinkled. “If you’re tired, go right ahead. We’ll talk softly around you.”

  I smiled. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “When I ran into you the other day, you seemed troubled. Is everything okay?”

  “A disagreement with my ex. It’s resolved now.”

  “I’m glad. This sleepy little town has had a lot going on lately. Such a terrible business with those men at the motel in town.” Diedra shook her head. “You own the paper, Rob. Have you heard anything more about what happened?

  “Detective Ziebold is still waiting on the coroner’s report.”

  Kevin swirled his wine. “We heard they were shot. Shocking. I thought this was a safe town.”

  “It usually is.”

  Rob stood. “Do you mind if I take a closer look at your plants?”

  Kevin said, “Not at all. Do you want company?”

  “I won’t be long. No need to get up.” Rob wandered off.

  I turned to Diedra. “Have you been to the new clothing shop in town yet? That’s where Wanda got this blouse.”

  “I thought it wasn’t opening until next week.” She sipped her wine.

  “They did a soft opening. But you’re right; the grand opening is next week.”

  Kevin said, “Feel free to go without me.”

  I laughed. “Rob is going to cover it for the paper. I was thinking about going; Diedra, why don’t you come with me.” I leaned toward her. “He said they'd have champagne.”

  “Sign me up.” She put cheese on a cracker.

  I took a dried fig and bit into it. “These are good.”

  A timer rang from inside the house. Diedra rose. “Need to check on the chicken.” She disappeared inside the kitchen.

  Rob came back. “The rest of your garden is lovely. I like how you’ve incorporated tropicals with your perennials. Did I see a castor bean plant back there?” He pointed to the left. A fig caught in my throat, and I began to cough. Rob patted my back. “Are you okay Merry?

  I gasped, “Water.”

  Kevin leaped up and hurried after Diedra.

  I glared at Rob. “Why didn’t you wait until we were alone?”

  “I wanted to see his reaction, but I wasn’t able to since his attention was focused on you.”

  Kevin came out of the back door. I coughed, and he handed me the water. I sipped it. “Thanks.”

  “Are you okay?” His
brow furrowed.

  I waved a hand since I was still drinking the water. “Fig went down the wrong way.”

  He turned to Rob. “I’m sorry. You asked me a question.”

  “I asked if that was a castor bean plant back there.”

  “Yes, it is. They have such pretty foliage, and the red plumes are lovely. Are you a fan?”

  “They certainly seem to be popular around here.”

  Diedra called out. “Dinner’s ready.”

  We wove our way through the kitchen to the dining room. She had a lovely, round wooden table that looked old. I ran my hand along it. “Is this wormy chestnut?”

  Diedra beamed. “It is. Family heirloom.” Her smile dimmed. “I always thought my daughter would inherit it. Now that she’s gone, I guess it will go to one of my sons.”

  Kevin touched Diedra’s hand. She winced. “It’s been a number of years, but it still seems so fresh. I can’t believe that wretched man took them from us.”

  “What man?” Rob asked.

  “The one who was married to your mother. Richard Franco. We couldn’t prove anything. But we knew he was behind it. Those men who were killed at the motel used to work for him. They had the nerve to come to our house and ask us questions about where we had been the day Richard died. I couldn’t believe they were standing at my door.” She shuddered. “They probably were the ones who cut the brakes to our daughter’s car.” Her hand trembled as she reached for the wine.

  I said, “It must have been so difficult for you.”

  “It still is. I hope you never feel the pain of losing a child.”

  I crossed myself.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Rob took his time driving home. I curled against the passenger door. “It must be incredibly hard to know who was responsible for your daughter’s death and not be able to prove it. That man was scum.”

  The signal clicked as he turned into my driveway. “I didn’t care very much for Richard when he was alive. Now that he’s dead, I can’t stand him. He caused so much heartache.”

  I climbed out of the car. “Agreed. But no one should have killed him. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”