Coming Up Murder

by Mary Angela

  “Leave your keys anywhere?”

  I considered the question. I didn’t use my car much, and I took my keys two places: home and the college. I hadn’t left them at either place. I shook my head again.

  “No wait, you did,” said Lenny. “That night you walked to your office and fell asleep. Remember? I bet you left them hanging in your lock.”

  Lenny couldn’t let that night go, could he? I retraced my steps from that evening: walk, campus, office, sleep. I had left them in the lock. Plus, I arrived home to a pot of pansies on my doorstep. It was the closest my stalker had come. The person must have followed me. “You’re right. The keys were in my door all night. I haven’t used my car since then.”

  “You’re in grave danger, Ms. Prather,” said Beamer. “Until this killer is caught, I don’t want you going anywhere without someone else.” He glanced at Lenny. “Maybe him.”

  “You got it,” said Lenny. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”

  His words never sounded so sweet.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I was released from the hospital the next morning. Thankfully I didn’t have to teach on Thursdays because I had a thousand forms to fill out before I could leave. When Lenny drove up to my house, Mrs. Gunderson met us with an enormous pot of chicken noodle soup. Lenny took the slow cooker inside while I hugged her for the second time. Her body was as stiff and unyielding as it had been in the hospital, but I didn’t care. This wiry, strong, nosy woman had saved my life. I still couldn’t think of it without tears filling my eyes.

  Inside, Lenny was making himself at home. Without saying a word, he was keeping his promise to stay by my side until the killer was found. Seeing him feed Dickinson and make coffee was oddly gratifying. Maybe it was the carbon monoxide hangover, but I felt as if I could watch him forever. It was comforting knowing he was there for more than the day.

  “So, one thing,” said Lenny as he brought us our coffee. “I have a student conference at eleven. I want you to come with me.” He glanced at me over his cup.

  If he thought I was going to argue, he was mistaken. Seeing my life almost fade away in a cloud of smoke made me not want to be alone right now. It also gave me a new appreciation for being alive. I knew what it meant to nearly lose a life—mine—and I was more determined than ever to solve Tanner’s murder. Whoever had killed him had also attempted to kill Andy and me. I was putting together the events the way I put together puzzles, twisting and turning until I found the answer that fit.

  “Good idea,” I said. “It’s a beautiful day, and I’d like some fresh air. I still feel like I’m in a fog.”

  “The thought of last night.” Lenny exhaled a breath. “I can’t get it out of my head.”

  “Every time I think of it, I get angry,” I said. “How dare someone taunt me with flowers, follow me to my office, trap me in my own garage. I swear I’m going to find whoever’s doing this, and I’m going to find them today.” I checked my enthusiasm. “Or tomorrow at the latest.”

  “We’re going to find them together. This has to end.”

  Lenny was right. I needed to end it before someone else was killed. Mrs. Gunderson and her gun couldn’t be everywhere. I set down my empty coffee cup. I needed to ready myself to catch a killer. A shower and tennis shoes were most certainly in order.

  * * *

  An hour later, Lenny and I walked out the door, toward campus. The robins had never sounded so lovely. They reminded me it was a privilege to be walking on these legs, seeing with these eyes, smelling with this nose. The apple trees, bursting with white blossoms, perfumed the day with their exuberant scent. Against the blue sky, the blooms were as fresh as the morning. I grasped Lenny’s hand, turned to him, and smiled. “Isn’t it a gorgeous day?”

  “It is,” he said, returning my smile.

  “I mean, it’s chilly, but the cold air is helping.” I motioned to my head. “My brain feels so much clearer.”

  “Thank God you weren’t hurt.” Lenny was still looking at me. “I like it when you wear your hair down. You should wear it that way more often.”

  I threaded my fingers through the curls springing over my head. “I may never wear it up again, you know that? It feels good this way. It feels real.”

  “Next time I see it in a ponytail, I’m going to remind you,” said Lenny.

  “I’m not kidding,” I said. “Something has changed in me. I can feel it. I feel more alert, more alive.”

  “The world had better watch out.”

  “You’re dang right it better,” I said. Even his dimple looked cuter.

  As we walked past Mia’s house, a dark outline took shape in the window. I stopped and stared. The plant. That’s what was different. I’d walked by the house for three years. There’d never been a plant in the front window. It had been placed there in the last couple of days. I was feeling sharper.

  “What are you looking at?” said Lenny.

  “That plant,” I said. “It’s never been there before. It’s new.”

  “So?” said Lenny.

  I shook my head. “So I don’t know. Why would someone buy a big plant like that just before moving out? The house is for rent.”

  “It was for sale?”

  “I don’t know—yet.” We started walking again. “But I’m going to find out.”

  “Take it easy, Em,” said Lenny. “You just got out of the hospital. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

  Seeing the worried look on his face, I reassured him as we crossed the street.

  The buzz started before we reached campus: the slamming of car doors, the bursting of laughter, the shuffling of feet. Energy begot energy, and I found myself walking faster toward Harriman Hall. I wanted to tell Giles I’d narrowed down my list of suspects. He would be glad Andy and Felix were no longer at the top. Which reminded me to check on Andy’s health. He had started the antidote; hopefully he was feeling better and could talk to me about Tanner’s death. He knew something that had put him in danger. Would it be safe to come to tomorrow’s birthday party? April 23 was the date both Shakespeare’s birth and death were celebrated. Though the precise birth date was unknown—he was baptized April 26, 1564, which made April 23 a good guess—scholars knew for certain Shakespeare died on April 23.

  The thought brought me to Denton. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t continuing his Shakespeare research. Well, a piece of me could. It was hard to see one’s favorite author discredited—as Tanner himself had found out. Besides, the controversy had cost Denton plenty already. His summer research program had been put on hold, and he was worried about his future. The fifty thousand dollars was the compensation he needed to distance himself from the trouble. Though it was possible, I didn’t believe he’d tried to kill Andy or me. He was moving on. Why would he commit murder?

  Lenny stopped at the entrance to the English Department. “I’ll be right down the hall, meeting with my student. Don’t leave without me, okay?”

  “I won’t,” I said. “I’m going to talk to Giles. I’ll wait for you in my office.”

  He gave me a peck on the cheek before turning in the other direction.

  “That’s the look of a woman in love,” said Claudia, who had breezed up behind me. In her fitted pants and a floral shirt, she was dressed in the height of fashion, as always.

  “I can’t deny it,” I said, watching Lenny open his office door.

  “What?” said Claudia. “Subterfuge is your middle name.”

  I laughed. “You know it, I know it, and I’m starting to think Lenny knows it.” I lowered my voice. “Do you think he … feels the same way?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Claudia adjusted the clip in her hair, rolling her eyes at me. “Incredible. You’re not. Walk with me.”

  “To my office,” I said. “I need to talk to Giles, and I don’t want Lenny to hear us.”

  Once we were in the safety of my room, Claudia said, “Lenny loves you. He’s loved you for a long time. He’s waited for you for a long time
, too. It might seem fast, but it’s not. If you’d watched it from the sidelines, as I have, you’d agree. It’s moved at a snail’s pace.” She was leaning against the table with her arms crossed. It was the stance she took when she wanted to be taken seriously. Used to talking with her hands, she kept them tucked under her armpits to prove she wasn’t being dramatic.

  “It doesn’t seem fast,” I said. “That’s the thing. It’s as if every moment has led up to this. Like … fate.” I thought of the events that had brought me here: my first conference, my first interview, my first murder. If anyone would have told me five years ago that I’d be living in a Copper Bluff, teaching English, I wouldn’t have believed them. Yet here I was.

  “I’ve told you never to use the F word,” said Claudia. “Relationships are work, and you’re in a serious one.”

  I hung up my coat. “Maybe it’s the near-death experience, but I think you’re right. I think it’s destiny.”

  “I said it was work, not destiny—what? What near-death experience?”

  I refocused on our conversation. “It was nothing. I mean, it was something, but I’m fine. I was trapped in my garage with the engine running, but Mrs. Gunderson fired her shotgun to open the door and saved me. I was released from the hospital this morning.”

  Her shoulders softened. “Are you okay?”

  I waved away her concern. “Perfectly fine. Better than fine. I feel like I’m on top of the world. Plus, my editor sent me a new cover that isn’t entirely dreadful. Do you want to see?”

  “Sure.”

  I opened my laptop. “Giles, I got a new cover. Do you want to see?” He was used to me communicating between our connecting door and answered in the affirmative. Though he hadn’t seen the first covers, I’d told him all about them. I wanted him to see the progress I’d made.

  “Hello, Claudia,” he said when he entered. Both of them stood behind me as I opened the file, but I could smell his aftershave. It was old-fashioned and light. If I had to describe the smell of the English Department in two words, it would be Giles’s aftershave and Pine-Sol.

  I leaned back in my chair. “Here it is.”

  After a moment, Claudia said, “Wonderful!”

  Giles said, “Very nice.”

  I turned to them with a smile. It was good to have friends who celebrated your successes, no matter how big or small. I could have hugged them both. “My editor said the book would come out in January of next year. I’ll be officially published.”

  “I’ll mention it at the celebration, if you don’t mind,” said Giles. “We’ll celebrate Ms. Prather and Mr. Shakespeare tomorrow.”

  “Those are two names I never thought I’d hear in the same sentence,” chuckled Claudia.

  “That reminds me,” I said, “is Andy feeling better? Will he be there?”

  “Much better,” said Giles. “He and Felix will both be at the party but are leaving immediately afterwards. I have to drive them to the airport.”

  “I would offer, but my car—” I stopped myself. No way was I telling Giles about last night. I didn’t want him to worry for my safety. He had enough concerns, including getting our visiting scholars back home in one piece. “Anyway, I’m glad they’re able to attend, though I’m sorry they had so much trouble.”

  “Trouble, for sure,” said Giles, the lines on his forehead deepening. “Do you know he’s thinking of suing the school?”

  “For what?” said Claudia. “He was poisoned with antifreeze. It had nothing to do with Bluff View Restaurant or the university.”

  “Someone from the university tried to kill him, though,” said Giles. “According to Felix, that’s grounds for a personal lawsuit against the school.”

  “I’m calling Gene,” said Claudia, grabbing her cellphone from her pocket. “He’ll be able to tell me if Andy has a case.” She checked the time. “After class. I have to go.” She turned to me. “Call me if you need anything.”

  I nodded. “Thanks, Claudia.”

  Giles followed her out the door.

  Chapter Thirty

  After Lenny was finished with his student conference, he took me to lunch downtown. We had chili-cheese dogs and crinkly fries at Harry’s. He said he was glad the carbon monoxide hadn’t affected my appetite. It hadn’t. Like everything else, I just appreciated it more. The food tasted better, especially while I was sitting across from Lenny, and we ate and talked for two hours. Then we walked back to his car, enjoying the sunny day and warm afternoon air. Some of the stores had their front doors open to catch the fresh spring breeze. The Book Barn had two racks of discount books outside that we perused before moving on. The entrance to Petal’s Place was adorned with trays of petunias. They looked like colorful window boxes framing the cute store.

  Petal was inside, talking to a customer. Her love for her profession was written on her face, and I wondered if I looked that happy correcting comma splices. I kind of doubted it. She was as cheerful as the flowers that surrounded her. Roses, carnations, sunflowers … wait. There was the plant. It was identical to the one in Mia’s living room window.

  “Lenny,” I said. “Look, it’s Mia’s plant.”

  He put his face closer to the window. “You’re right. It has the same weird leaves.”

  “Let’s go inside.” I pulled open the door and walked over to the house plants. Their glossy foliage filled the corner. I inspected the tag on the plant identical to Mia’s.

  “That’s an umbrella plant,” said Petal, who’d finished with her customer. She was wearing the same heavy canvas apron, but today her pixie cut was disarranged. It reminded me of one of her spiky plants. “Super easy to care for and nice-sized. You won’t find another one in Copper Bluff as big.”

  That got me thinking. It was big—big enough to disguise a small pot of pansies. What if whoever bought the plant stole the pansies at the same time? That way, no one would be able to trace the purchase to the person. We knew the pansies came from Petal’s Place. Hers was the only store in Copper Bluff selling them. No way was someone walking out of the store with this plant, though. It was too big. “This is important, Petal. Have you sold any of these recently?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I saw the sale when I was typing up my reorder form.”

  “It’s a big plant,” said Lenny. “Do you remember who bought it?”

  Petal thought for a moment. “I wish I could help you, but I can’t. I didn’t sell it.” She tapped her pencil on the counter. “Let me get your number. When the girl who works for me comes in, I’ll ask her if she knows.”

  “Any description might help,” I said. “Even male or female.”

  I gave her my phone number, and she promised she’d let me know.

  “What did you mean by ‘male or female’?” said Lenny as we got into his car. “The plant’s in Mia’s house. Can’t we assume one of them bought it?”

  “Not necessarily,” I said. “Jacob could have bought Mia the plant. You saw how uncomfortable he was the other night when you mentioned antifreeze. Denton could have, too, but I have a harder time imagining him bringing them a gift. A plant might be his style, though. A touch awkward, if you know what I mean.”

  Lenny started the car. “Plus, it had to take some muscle to move Tanner’s body into the garden. A guy would have an easier time.”

  Maybe or maybe not. Hailey and Mackenzie played sports for the university. I didn’t doubt their ability to move a body, especially when the body couldn’t fight back.

  “It’s easy enough to find out,” said Lenny. “We can ask them who bought the plant.”

  “I don’t want to spook the killer when we’re this close,” I said. “Even if Mia bought the plant, stole the pansies, and placed them on my porch, it doesn’t prove she killed Tanner. We need proof. Then everything else will fall into place.”

  A group of students ran out of Harry’s, laughing. We followed them with our eyes as the car idled. Oh, to be an undergraduate again, when drinking beer at three o’clock on a Thursday alwa
ys seemed like a good idea.

  “Giles said Andy was feeling better,” I said. “We should be able to talk to him now about the night he was poisoned. Maybe he’ll remember a detail that will point us to the murderer. Whoever attempted to kill him probably killed Tanner. The poison is the same.”

  “The hospital?” he said, putting his car in reverse.

  I shook my head. “Giles said he was released. He’ll be at Happy Rest Motel.”

  Happy Rest was the small motel on Birch Street where Andy was staying. Recently, a larger chain hotel had opened in Copper Bluff, but the lot was usually empty. The university liked to give visitors the local experience, I guessed, because most of them stayed here, in the blue rectangle perched on the corner.

  The entrance was marked by a sign emblazoned with HAPPY REST, the words swinging in a hammock, and as we walked in, we were greeted with a hearty welcome by the desk clerk, who was a whirl of energy. We explained we were with the university and would like to talk to Andy, one of our guests. We asked for his room number.

  “Sorry! I can’t give that out, but if you hang on one teeny-weeny second, I’ll give his room a ring and tell him you’re here.” Her plump cheeks were deeply dimpled, and her round face kept its smile as she punched the numbers on her phone. She pointed to the side table. “Help yourself to a cookie. I just put them out.”

  “Thank you,” I said, meandering toward the sweets.

  “We just ate,” Lenny whispered.

  “It’s dessert,” I said, selecting a chocolate chip cookie. “Life’s too short to pass up free cookies.”

  “You have a point,” said Lenny, grabbing an M&M cookie.

  “He’s coming!” said the desk clerk. “Be patient. The poor dear just got out of the hospital. Something he ate, I believe.”

  When Andy walked into the lobby, I was taken aback by his appearance. He was still well-groomed and smartly dressed. But the clothes hung off his frame, a size too big, and his skin was ashen against his blue-black hair.

  “You’re staring,” Lenny murmured.

  I blinked and threw my napkin in the garbage. “Hey, Andy. How are you feeling?”