“I’ll pay to have them redone,” Lacy offered.
Kimber gave her a look. It wasn’t the money; it was the time and the pain involved in having bitty pieces of her hair held tight for hours on end.
“Come on, you’re as vested in this now as I am,” Lacy said.
“Not hardly,” Kimber said, but she changed into her robe nonetheless.
The steam room was crowded and the steam, predictably, made it difficult to see. “Sven said she’s unmistakable,” Lacy said. His exact words were, “Thee’s like Bea Arthur from Golden Girlth.” She scanned the room for a tall, powerful older woman and found her almost immediately, mostly because she was the only naked person in the room.
“She’s unmistakable all right,” Lacy said. Kimber followed the line of her gaze.
“Uh-uh. No way. Nope. You’re on your own. See you, girl. Good luck.” She turned and practically sprinted out of the room. Reluctantly, Lacy went forward and took a seat near the nude older woman, but not too close. She was pruny, whether from age or too much time in the steam room Lacy didn’t know and didn’t care. She made a concerted effort not to look as she spoke.
“Crazy day, huh?”
“I’ll say,” Charlotte Hester—AKA Mrs. Van Uppity—said. Her voice was booming and loud. More than a few people turned to glance at them before looking quickly away. “Do you know I was interviewed by the police today? The police! The resort will positively be hearing from my lawyers about this. No one treats Charlie Hester like a criminal and gets away with it, not even the police.”
Despite the angry tirade, she still seemed open to conversation. “The police talked to you? What about?” It would have been awkward not to turn in Charlotte’s direction, but Lacy made a concerted effort to keep her eyes firmly on the woman’s widow’s peak.
“That woman who was killed, Jill.” Charlotte waved her hand impatiently.
“Did you know her?” Lacy asked.
“Did I?” Charlotte harrumphed.
“Did you?” Lacy pressed when Charlotte didn’t continue.
“They tried to assign her as my trainer, but I was having none of it. Imagine a little chit like that trying to boss me around and insult me. They may act like that on TV, but no one talks to Charlie Hester that way.” She nodded emphatically, her limp gray curls bobbing in half-hearted agreement.
“She wasn’t nice to you?” Lacy said.
“Nice? Nice? That woman compared me to a draft horse, said someone with my frame ought to be able to lift more, even if I was old. So do you know what I did to her?”
“What?” Lacy asked.
“I pushed her down, that’s what. That showed her. She looked up at me with eyes all big and shocked and I said, ‘You think I’m old, but I can still take you to school, little girl. Don’t you ever talk to Charlie Hester that way again.’”
“What did she say?”
“Not a thing. Just laid there looking stunned. Like most bullies, they cower pretty quick if someone stands up to them. Well Charlie Hester always stands up for herself.”
“Is that why the police wanted to talk to you?”
“Heavens no, they had no idea what happened, and I didn’t tell them. I might be old, but I’m not daft.”
Charlotte definitely had enough anger and strength to kill someone, but Lacy liked her in spite of it. At least she was straightforward. You knew what you were getting in Charlie Hester. “They say she was poisoned,” Lacy whispered.
Charlotte harrumphed. “Poison. Nasty business. Sneaky badger, too scared to be forthright.”
“Did the police ask you if you knew anyone who might have done it?”
“Yep, but I told them it could have been anybody. She was a self-important little upstart, always hinting that she was bound for bigger things.”
“Like what?”
“If she said, I didn’t pay any mind. Charlie Hester doesn’t care for braggarts.”
“The police think Sven did it,” Lacy said.
For the first time, Charlotte’s face fell with something like guilt. “Sven’s a nice boy. I don’t want to think he had anything to do with that business. But…”
“But what?” Lacy prompted when she hesitated.
“But I saw him and the little chit arguing, and he looked mad. Mad enough to kill.”
“Did you tell the police?”
She shook her head. “I could tell they had it out for him. Charlie Hester doesn’t like to see anyone steamrolled.” She bit her lip, uncertain. “I hope I did the right thing holding it back like that.”
Lacy hoped so, too. She wasn’t certain, and now that she knew, the ethical dilemma was hers to share. I’ll tell Jason, she thought. He would know what to do. But first, she would find out all she could about everyone else who might have wanted Jill dead. She would have to hurry, though. Her time was short and the list was endless.
“I don’t want to see Sven go down for something he didn’t do, either. That’s why I’m trying to help. Can you think of anyone, anyone at all, who had a confrontation with Jill that day?”
“There was this other young gal, statuesque like me. She was with her sisters and had one of those trendy names. Started with a B.”
“Belle?” Lacy guessed.
“Weirder than that.”
“Bede?”
“That’s the one. She and Jill got into it. She drew back a fist, and I thought maybe Jill was a goner.” She paused reflectively. “I guess she is.”
“Thank you,” Lacy said.
“Never let it be said that Charlie Hester didn’t help a big fella down on his luck,” she said as she closed her eyes and rested her head on the wall behind her, effectively ending the interview.
Lacy sat still for a moment, thinking and remembering not to accidentally glance at Charlotte in all her birthday suit glory. So far in the Steele vs. Underwood war of words, she had managed to remain neutral. The Underwoods had been hazing Riley, as she was sure they would do to anyone who married their brother. But how would things change if Lacy implicated one of them with murder, however peripherally? There was nothing else for it; she would have to find out.
She left the steam room and changed back into her clothes, feeling wilted and exhausted. The sleepless night, long day, and struggle to make her muscles work were catching up with her. There was also the issue of food. The chalk drink had done wonders to fill her up, but it couldn’t replace chewing and swallowing. She missed food, her old friend. The weekend was almost over; she could make it. But did she want to? She shoved that thought aside.
Bede and her sisters were walking toward her when Lacy rounded the corridor.
“Hey, it’s the good Steele! Hi, Lacy,” they greeted her, ever cheerful over the sight of her. They did it to get under Riley’s skin, but there was a secret part of Lacy that liked it anyway. So much of her life had been spent with peppy, outgoing Riley as the favored one. Was it so wrong to take a bit of delight in the fact that someone liked her better? Probably.
“Bede, I was wondering if I could talk to you a few minutes.”
“Sounds serious,” Bede said.
“It sort of is,” Lacy said.
“Tell you what, I was going to sit out and play the winner in their game of racquetball, but now you can play with me and talk about whatever you want.”
“I don’t know how to play racquetball,” Lacy said.
“It’s like tennis.”
“I don’t know how to play that, either.”
“You seem like a fast learner. Come on.” She grabbed Lacy by the upper arm and practically frog marched her to the racquetball courts.
“My muscles hurt,” Lacy said.
“Working them will be good; keeps the lactic acid from building.”
“I’m not wearing shoes,” Lacy pointed out. After the steam room, she had put on shorts and a t-shirt, but she was still wearing slippers with the resort’s emblem on the toes.
“Those will work even better. You can glide.”
> “I don’t think this is a good idea. I’m not what you’d call athletic,” Lacy tried.
“You’ll be fine,” Bede assured her as she snapped a pair of goggles over her face and handed a pair to Lacy.
“Why do I need these?” Lacy asked.
“So a ball won’t blind you or knock your eye out.”
“Uh…”Lacy stuttered, sounding panicked.
“I’m joking. That almost never happens,” Bede said. She opened the door to the court and waited for Lacy to precede her inside. The court smelled like thousands of sweaty gym socks. Lacy resisted the urge to put her hand over her nose.
“What am I supposed to do?” Lacy asked. Her voice sounded as if she were talking through her adenoids, probably because she was breathing through her mouth. Sweat was an unaccustomed and unwelcome smell to her, but Bede seemed right at home.
“Hit the ball,” Bede said.
It seemed easy enough. The racket was much larger than the small, blue ball. But when Bede smashed it against the opposite wall and it came hurling toward Lacy’s head, she could only think to duck and cover. Instinct took over and she crumpled to a flattened puddle on the floor, much to the chagrin of her loudly protesting leg muscles.
“Good reflexes,” Bede observed. The ball went flying toward her. She hit it again, adding momentum to the bounce. Lacy remained cowering on the floor. Bede didn’t seem to notice as she hit the ball over and over, dodging to each side of the court to reach it.
“So, did you know Jill?” Lacy asked. She had to yell to be heard over the echoes of Bede’s grunts, foot squeaks, and ball thumping.
“Who?” Bede said.
“The trainer.”
“The dead girl? No, I didn’t know her.” Grunt. Lunge. Dive.
“She never trained you?”
“She tried. It didn’t work out. Does that qualify as knowing her?” She bashed into the wall, pushed hard against it, and swung her arm wide to get the shot. Lacy crab walked to the back wall and hugged the corner, making sure her knees were up to cover all her vulnerable parts. Her racquet she used as an umbrella in case the ball had any ideas about finding her head.
“What went wrong? Was it because she was snarky?”
“Snarky is an endearing trait to me,” Bede said as she slid on her knees three feet to make her shot.
“So why didn’t you like her?”
“She was a cheater.”
“How so?”
“She wanted…” Grunt. Squat. Slam. “…to show off her guns.”
“She had a gun?” Lacy said.
“Biceps,” Bede explained. She was working up an extraordinary sweat. The fact that she was able to maintain any conversation, regardless of how stilted, was a testament to her high fitness level. “Talking trash about pushups. Pushups are my thing, ya know?”
Lacy didn’t, but if her chiseled biceps were any indication, she was telling the truth.
“So I challenged her to a duel.”
“A pushup duel?”
“You betcha.”
“What happened?”
“She cheated.”
“How did she cheat?”
“She didn’t go all the way down. So I told her that if she didn’t make her nose touch the ground, I’d do it for her.”
“What happened then?”
She caught the ball and paused. Lacy was glad. Not only could she drop the vigilant guard she was keeping over her vital organs, but she had started to get seasick watching Bede dodge back and forth.
“She blustered and folded, some talk about how she didn’t need this job anyway because something big was coming her way.”
“Did she say what?”
“If she did, I didn’t listen. She was a lot of hot air.”
“Did you hit her?” Lacy asked.
“Almost, but she seemed the litigious type. The last thing I need is another lawsuit. Why are you asking?” She had been bouncing the ball on her racket. She stopped and faced Lacy. “Wait, do you think I killed her or something?”
Lacy couldn’t think of a clever reply that wouldn’t give her away.
Bede doubled over laughing. “You think I killed some gym twit because she had a smart mouth and cheated at pushups? That’s great.” She straightened and wiped her streaming eyes. “Seriously, though, if I had killed her, I would have made sure that body was never found.”
All of a sudden she was a little too serious. Lacy shifted. Her foot fuzzed. It had fallen asleep. She jabbed it in front of her and bobbed it up and down to restore feeling. “Duly noted. Did you overhear anyone else interact with her or see anyone with her?”
“I don’t pay much attention to people and their lives. I think there was a guy, though. I saw them smooching.”
“Sven?” Lacy asked, her heart sinking. If Sven and Jill had been in a relationship, it would be one more nail in his coffin.
“No, another blondie. He works the desk a lot. I think his name starts with a D.”
“Derek?”
Bede shrugged. “Maybe. You want to play some more or are you ready to call it a game?”
“I’m all played out,” Lacy said. Both feet were asleep now. There was a good chance she might never get off the floor.
“Good game,” Bede said. She put a hand down and pulled Lacy up so aggressively that she bounced the landing a couple of times.
“For sure. Next time I might let you win,” Lacy said. Bede laughed and clapped her on the back. Lacy began mentally reviewing the symptoms of a collapsed lung, in case that happened later from the impact.
“Hey, Bede, maybe you guys could take it easy on Riley. She hasn’t been having the easiest time since the baby came.”
“Lacy, your little sister is a self-centered, spoiled, shallow, mean-hearted girl child. How she duped my idiot little brother into marrying her, I’ll never know. Whatever we’re dishing out is only exactly what she deserves.”
“Maybe Riley’s had some issues, but those were in her past. She’s been trying hard to grow up since marrying and having the baby.”
“You sound like Tosh.”
“Maybe because we’re both right.”
“Maybe because you’re both softhearted imbeciles,” Bede said. Still, she took a breath and squared her impressively wide shoulders. “I’ll tell you what, I will keep an open mind, and if she’s changed as much as you say, then we might consider giving her a pass. But if she sticks one toe out of line, we’ll make her wish she had never sunk her perfectly manicured little claws into my brother or his inheritance.”
“Sounds fair,” Lacy said. Meanwhile she wondered how to warn Riley not to act like herself around Tosh’s family. Maybe it was a good thing Jason wasn’t close to his family. Relationships were hard enough without all the added in-law baggage. Then she realized that she came attached with enough family baggage for the both of them. Poor Jason. If he thought it was bad being the boyfriend, wait until he became legally bound to the Steeles and their issues. If, Lacy mentally corrected herself. If he became legally bound to the Steeles. They had a long way to go until they reached that point, and though he didn’t seem like a runner, looks could be deceiving.
Chapter 15
Lacy was ready for bed. The day had been long and full. Along with being exhausted, her muscles had reached their limit of endurance. The lack of food was wearing on her. More than anything she wanted to have a short goodnight conversation with Jason and go to bed. But Jason was playing basketball with the other guys. Disappointed, Lacy decided to skip the goodnight and go straight to bed.
On her way to her room, she saw Snaps at the coffee bar and veered to say hello. She had meant to spend more time catching up with him this weekend. They had been pals back in the days when they were both misfits. Seeing him gave her a warm nostalgic feeling, reminiscent of when her biggest worry was missing a dance step in show choir or accidentally tossing her retainer in the trashcan.
“Are you working?” she asked as she sneaked up beside him.
> He jumped, but smiled when he saw her. “Guilty. I come here to get away from it all, and then end up bringing it all with me. I guess it distracts me from thinking about Jill, though. Have you heard anything about that? Did they arrest anyone yet? Have a seat.”
Lacy sat down, glad for the chance to get off her quivering legs. “No. I spent the day talking to people, trying to piece together if anyone had motive.”
“And?”
“And everyone had motive. Everyone agrees that the person with the most motive was Sven, but I can’t believe he did it. He’s such a teddy bear.”
“Really? He’s such a jock. He strikes me as one of those guys who used to stuff guys like me in my tuba case in high school.”
“I don’t think so. I think he was someone like us who got buff later to prove himself.”
“What makes you think that? The lisp?”
“The lisp and a general insecure vibe.”
“Insecurity can make people do crazy things,” Snaps said.
“I know, but I don’t see it in this case. There were too many other people who had it in for Jill. So many that I’m undoubtedly spinning my wheels here, but I feel a little like Sven is being railroaded, and I have to do something to help.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Not unless you can think of anyone else who might have had means or motive to kill Jill,” Lacy said.
He squinted as he thought. “I think she was seeing someone. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t friends who talked about stuff, but she made a couple of references to a guy.”
“Did she say who?”
“No, but I know he worked for the resort because she talked about having lunch with him one day. And once I saw some guy talking to her before one of our sessions.”
“What did he look like?”
“Blond, young, good looking. I’ve seen him working the desk a few times.”
“Derek?” Lacy’s heart beat faster. It was the second time someone had mentioned him in connection with Jill.
He shrugged. “I really don’t know. Sorry. You’re right, though, Jill’s enemy list was a mile long.”
“I suppose. A few people mentioned that she had hinted about being on to something big, like she thought she would be moving up from the resort soon. Do you know what that might have been about?”
Last Resort of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery Book 9) Page 10
