A tickle ran down Q’Bita’s spine as Hadleigh’s words sank in. Could it be possible Hadleigh meant that literally? Maybe the argument was work-related and had ended in Hadleigh killing Macie.
“Thanks. We’re lucky. Owning the Red Herring Inn means we can live together as a family and make a living doing what each of us really loves doing. Life doesn’t get much better than that. Did you help Macie much with the cooking on the show?”
“Me? Oh gosh, no. I can’t cook any better than Macie could. That’s why she had Patti Becker.”
“Speaking of Patti, I hope it’s okay to ask you this… I figure if anyone knows the truth, it would probably be you. Is there any truth to the rumors that Patti put poison in Macie’s food?”
“From what I gather, it’s true. Patti claims she only meant to make Macie sick, and apparently it wasn’t what killed Macie. Aren’t you dating the sheriff? I thought he would have told you about the case.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Q’Bita muttered to herself. This was exactly the opening she’d been hoping for.
“Because my nana has been charged with Macie’s murder Andy can’t tell me or my family anything. It’s frustrating. I don’t care what the evidence says, my nana didn't kill Macie, but the Dixons seem convinced she did. I’m afraid if I don’t do something to get to the bottom of this my nana might end up going to jail for something she didn’t do. I’ve heard rumors you and Macie had a falling-out a few days before her murder. Would you tell me what it was about? It might not have anything at all to do with the case, but if there’s any chance it does, then anything you can tell me might help clear my nana.”
Hadleigh looked like a rabbit who’d been cornered by a hawk, and Q’Bita was worried she might have blown it, until Hadleigh pulled out a stool and sat down.
“We did have an argument. Macie caught me snooping in her office and accused me of trying to sabotage her. She could be a little dramatic at times. Things were said by both of us that weren’t nice, and she fired me.”
“Macie fired you? You must have been furious.”
“Not really. By nature, I’m a very honest person, and let’s just say the Dixons don’t always play by the rules. I’d reached a point where I couldn’t stay in that environment.”
“Wow, was that the last time you talked to Macie before… well, you know?”
“You mean before she died? It wasn’t the last time. The day she died I was gathering my things from the TV Studio when Macie came in and apologized. We had a long talk and she explained why she was the way she was, and I believe she was sincere. Macie was a product of her upbringing, but she wasn’t all bad, just spoiled and misguided. She told me she was tired of the way people perceived her and was ready to change, which is another reason why I came here today.”
This last comment caught Q’Bita completely off guard.
“I’m not sure I understand. Why here?”
Hadleigh got up and grabbed her purse off the hook near the door. She reached inside, pulled out a file folder of loose pages, and handed them to Q’Bita. Q’Bita opened the folder and was shocked to see it was full of copies of her nana’s recipes.
“Where did you get these?”
“That’s what I found when Macie caught me snooping in her office. Macie didn’t take them, but she certainly didn’t refuse them when they were offered. It’s what we argued about. The day she died she explained the whole situation to me and asked me to reconsider leaving. I agreed to stay on the condition she bring these back to your nana, apologize, then start over clean. I guess she never got the chance.”
This should have been great news, but instead it made Q’Bita’s heart sink. On one hand it proved her nana had been right to accuse Macie of using her recipes, but on the other hand it gave Liddy Lou an even stronger motive to kill Macie.
Q’Bita forced herself to focus but it wasn’t easy.
“Wait. You said Macie didn’t take these. How do you know that’s true?”
“She got them from someone named Tony. He gave them to her and then kept coming around telling Macie she owed him and needed to settle up. I got the impression Macie didn’t care much for him and was maybe even a little afraid of him.”
“Did you tell this to the sheriff? Do you know this Tony’s last name?”
Hadleigh squirmed nervously on the stool.
“No, I didn’t. I’m afraid if I tell them about Tony I’ll have to tell them about arguing with Macie and they’ll think I killed her. I was hoping you might be able to help me figure out how to tell them since the sheriff is your boyfriend. I don’t believe your grandmother killed Macie, and I swear I didn’t do it, but it’s possible this Tony guy had something to do with it.”
Q’Bita didn’t know what to think. Either Hadleigh Banks was the best actress she’d ever met, or she’d just cracked this case wide open. Either way, Q’Bita needed to talk to Andy as soon as possible. She was glad she’d made two pies, since she hadn’t exactly been nice to Andy recently, and he’d already confessed pie was the way to his heart.
Chapter 29
Q’Bita’s hands were shaking as she pressed the send button to call Andy. What if he was still angry and didn’t pick up? What if he got even more angry at her for talking to Hadleigh? Andy answered before the first ring ended, and it caught her off guard.
“Hey there. Were your ears ringing? I was just thinking about giving you a call.”
“Maybe you just sensed I had extra pie and you couldn’t resist.”
“I did not pick up on the pie vibes, but now that it’s been brought to my attention I may need to investigate.”
“I’d like that.”
Andy was quiet for a second then cleared his throat.
“I have some information to share but you’re probably not going to like it.”
“Well, I have some to share with you, too, so maybe we should just discuss everything over pie.”
“Man, I was hoping you’d say that. I’m leaving the station now.”
Q’Bita was relieved when Andy greeted her with a hug. It felt good to be in his arms again even if it was only for a few seconds. She missed him and hated what this mess was doing to their relationship.
They exchanged small talk while Andy made his way through the first round of pie.
“So, I told you there was something I wanted to share with you. Promise me you won’t get upset, okay?”
“Only if you make me the same promise.”
“Deal. I’ve heard some grumbling that Red’s calling in favors trying to get the trial date moved up. It looks like he’s going to get his way, too. I can’t tell Kent without getting my ass in hot water, and you can’t tell him where you found out, but someone needs to make sure he knows about this and is ready to push back.”
“Does this mean you still don’t have any other suspects?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m trying everything I can, I promise.”
“I know you are, and I just might be able to help you with that.”
Andy dropped his fork and sat up straight.
“Q’Bita, please tell me you haven’t been messing with this investigation. If we’re right and Liddy Lou is being set up, that means there’s someone else out there who has killed once and won’t hesitate to do it again.”
“There’s no if, Andy. We are right. My nana didn’t do this, but I have an idea who might have.”
“Who?”
“Hadleigh Banks was here for lunch today, and she brought me these.” Q’Bita pushed the file folder of recipes towards Andy. “These are photocopies of my nana’s recipes. Hadleigh found them in a safe in Macie’s office. When she asked about them Macie admitted they were stolen. She got them from someone named Tony. Hadleigh doesn’t know Tony's last name but she said he’s come around a few times and she can give you a description. Tony had been pestering Macie about owing him and needing to settle up. Hadleigh also claims Macie had a change of heart and was going to return the recipes to my nana the day she died.
We need to find out who this Tony is. He might be our killer.”
“She told you all this? Did it occur to you she might be lying? Both Chance and I interviewed her, and she never once mentioned any of this to us.”
“I know. She told me that, too. She’s afraid if she tells you, you might think she killed Macie.”
“Okay. I’ll bring her in to get a description then start looking into this Tony guy, but promise me you’ll stop playing detective. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you. Besides, I can’t concentrate if I’m distracted worrying about you.”
Three slices of pie and half a pitcher of sweet tea called for a walk. Q’Bita was glad she’d called him, and by the time he left it felt like things were better between them. She just hoped they stayed that way.
After Andy left, Q’Bita filled her family in about Tony and the possibility of Red moving up the trial. Her father called Kent Haskell, who promised to address the trial date issue with the judge ASAP.
Long after the others had gone to bed, Q’Bita noticed her nana sitting by the fire in the library. Liddy Lou had been very calm and quiet through their whole discussion, and that wasn’t like her at all. Something had changed since her nana came home, and Q’Bita was worried about her.
Q’Bita knelled down next to her nana’s chair and put her arm around her shoulders.
“Nana, is there anything you want to talk about? You haven’t seemed yourself the last few days.”
Liddy Lou shook her head and patted Q’Bita on the shoulder.
“No, dear, I’m fine. Just tired from all the drama we’ve had.”
Q’Bita kissed her nana on the top of the head.
“If you insist, I’ll let it go, but just know that I’m here if you need to talk, Nana.”
A sad look flitted across her nana’s face, and a wave of foreboding washed over Q’Bita.
***
Q’Bita was the early riser of the family, which meant she was also the coffee maker, but today someone had beaten her to it. The smell of fresh coffee pulled her from her bed and drew her to the kitchen. Her parents sat drinking coffee with her nana. Tension hung in the room and gave Q’Bita an uneasy feeling.
“It’s too early for any of you to be up. What’s going on?”
“Kent spoke to Judge Tanner last night, and the judge informed him that given the circumstances he saw no reason not to grant Red Dixon’s request for an escalated trial.”
Her father looked directly at her nana when he said circumstances.
“Okay, I’m confused. What circumstances is he referring to?”
Both her parents were now looking at her nana the way they used to look at her or Beecher when they’d done something wrong and were expected to explain themselves.
The sound of the side door opening broke the tension in the room. Jamie took one step inside and stopped abruptly.
“Did I just interrupt something? You all look way too serious for this early in the morning.”
“Tom,” said Liddy Lou, “now that Jamie’s here maybe you should go wake Beecher and Rene. It’s probably best if I just get everything out in the open all at once.”
Q’Bita had no idea what her nana was about to tell them, but she was sure she wasn’t going to like it. She grabbed four more coffee cups and started another pot while they waited for Beecher and Rene to join them. Then she grabbed a tray of scones from the walk-in and popped them in the oven to warm through.
Liddy Lou looked at her assembled family and took a deep breath.
“I know this is upsetting for all of you, but I fear I’ve brought some of this on myself. Please understand I wasn’t trying to hide anything or lie to any of you. I’ve been trying to protect you. What you don’t know you can’t be forced to tell. There’s a few things I’ve been keeping to myself that in hind sight I should have shared with the sheriff, and those things are now biting me in the butt.”
Liddy Lou’s hands were shaking as she took a sip of coffee and reached for a scone.
“Good Lord, woman, don’t stop now. You tore me from the depths of my beauty sleep for this, so let’s hear it. Besides, those scones aren’t the least bit juicy, and I’m guessing this story is.”
Beecher put a hand on Rene’s arm and made a zipping motion across his lips.
“The sheriff is in possession of security tapes from the TV station, which I didn’t know existed when he was here speaking with Kent and myself. Had I known this, I might have chosen to be more forthcoming. These tapes show me entering the TV station on the day Macie died, which, as you know, contradicts what I told the sheriff, and that’s why he thinks I’m lying to him.”
“Wait. You were at the TV Station that day? Why?” asked Q’Bita.
“This ridiculous argument had gotten completely out of control, and I was hoping if I took the high road and reached out to her in a friendly, civil way then maybe we could resolve this whole mess, but I never got the chance. Right after I got to the TV Station the power went out, and I left. I spent the next few hours walking around, which means I have no alibi.”
“Okay, I agree that looks pretty bad, but that can’t possibly be enough to warrant escalating a trial date, can it?” Beecher asked.
Kari Block reached across the table and held her mother’s hand.
“Why don’t you get another cup of coffee? I can tell them the rest, Mama.”
“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to step outside and pluck some fresh chamomile. I could use a nice cup of tea.”
Q’Bita put on a kettle of water and then returned to the table.
Kari dabbed at the corners of eyes with a tissue and blew her nose, sounding like a fog horn.
“I don’t talk much about my father, mostly because it hurts your nana, but there are some things about his death that directly impact your nana’s case. These things are about to become public knowledge, and I want to tell you about it before you read the Spenser Penn version.”
“I thought Papa was killed in a robbery. How does that impact Nana?” Beecher asked.
“Well, that’s the story that made it to the papers but there’s more to it than that. It’s true my father was shot in the parking lot of a motel, but the local police were convinced it was just staged to look like a robbery. The part that isn’t common knowledge is that my father wasn’t the only person found dead that day. He was found just outside a room where our local congressman’s wife supposedly committed suicide.
“Her official cause of death was listed as suicide by drug overdose, but the coroner found high levels of strychnine in her system. Witnesses came forward saying they’d seen her and my father together at the motel on several occasions. For a long time after their deaths the police were convinced she and my father were having an affair and your nana killed them out of jealousy. The police could never make the case, and when the congressman decided to run for governor, he wanted the whole mess kept quiet.”
They all sat silently for a few seconds letting Kari’s words sink in. Finally, Jamie spoke up. “You said this was going to become public knowledge. If Liddy Lou was never charged, can they even bring this up at trial?”
“Once Spenser prints his twisted version of events they won’t need to bring it up at trial. Everyone in town will already know about it and will have formed their own opinion, good or bad,” explained Tom.
They’d all been so wrapped up in Kari’s story they hadn’t noticed Liddy Lou was back from the kitchen garden.
“Tom’s right. It is going to look really bad for me, but I want all of you to know, I didn’t believe your papa was having an affair then, and I still don’t believe it now. Those deaths are connected for sure, but I didn’t have anything to do with them. If Spenser Penn wants to drag up the past and plaster it all over the front page, then it is what it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it. I’ve decided to put all this in the Lord’s hands and have faith he’ll see me through it.”
They finished their coffee and the rest of the scones
. It was only 9:30, and Q’Bita already hated how long this day had been. Jamie stayed to help her load the dishwasher.
“Okay, Q’B-Doll, I can smell the carrots and onions coming out your ears so tell me what’s got you stewing.”
“Why didn’t Andy tell me about the security tapes? He told me about Red wanting to move up the trial date. Why keep the rest from me?”
“I don’t know, darling, but whatever his reason, I am sure he didn’t do it to hurt you. He cares about you, Q’B-Doll, so don’t let all this come between you.”
“I’m trying, Jamie, but it’s hard. They aren’t making any headway in this investigation, and I’m starting to wonder if they will before it’s too late.”
“Well, maybe they just need our help. I think it’s time to have another chat with Hadleigh and see if we can find out more about this Tony person.”
Chapter 30
Liddy Lou slapped the morning paper down so hard it caused tea to slosh over the top of her cup. Spenser Penn’s article about Henry’s murder and Eliza La Fontaine’s questionable suicide was splashed all over the front page. He’d done his usual job of polishing a turd till it sparkled like the sun. Liddy Lou just hoped everyone didn’t get so blinded by the sparkle they failed to see the shit pile behind the shine.
Her cell phone rang. The caller ID said Private Number, so she let it go to voicemail. After a few seconds the voicemail alert beeped. She took a long sip of tea then pushed the button to listen to the message.
“Good morning, Ms. Cormier. By now I’m sure you’ve seen today’s Castle Creek Gazette. Such unfortunate timing, don’t you think? I imagine this article isn’t going to help your case. Heck, it just might be the nail in your coffin. I think it’s time you and I had a friendly chat about your options. I’ll be at the Castle Creek Diner around 10 if you’re interested. Feel free to bring Haskell with you if you want, but it would probably go smoother if you just came alone.”
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