Chapter Twenty-two
I leaned over and whispered to Dolores, “One thing at a time. Let’s just ask about Pappas for now. Save your leverage for later.”
Dolores considered for a moment and then became an amiable hostess. “Clancy, would you like a glass of sweet tea? Jessica has something she would like to ask you.”
Clancy sat down and said, “Jessica, if this is about the eulogy, I have been thinking and I promise to come up with more stories.”
Before Dolores could ask what he was talking about, I said quickly, “No, it’s something else. We have been going through Willis’s papers and came across an irate letter from a Mr. Pappas of Coliseum Investments. He was upset because Willis sent you to meet with him instead of attending the meeting himself. Dolores and I couldn’t imagine why on earth Mr. Pappas was so upset.”
Rather than being demanding I decided to go for perplexed, and it worked.
Clancy groaned. “Oh, I remember Mr. Pappas—or as I call him, Mr. Pompous. He lives and works in California someplace but came east for a wedding in Atlanta. Since he was going to be so nearby and he and Willis had never actually met, Pappas decided to come to Columbia and have a lunch meeting with Willis. Trouble was, Willis and Dolores were on their honeymoon when Pappas texted from Atlanta.”
“Why didn’t Willis tell the man that we were on completely different continents?” Dolores asked.
“You know that wasn’t Willis’s style. His motto was ‘Never let a business opportunity slip by,’ or at least that’s what I always imagined his motto to be.”
I said, “And he assumed Mr. Pappas would have some business to discuss rather than this being strictly a social call.”
Clancy nodded. “And here is a sentence I would never dare say while he was alive: Willis was wrong. Pappas thought that the geography of his nephew’s wedding made it easy for him to meet Willis and have a friendly lunch. He had nothing more on his agenda. But when I showed up, Pappas hit the ceiling. I explained about the honeymoon, but even after I told him I was Willis’s son-in-law he was furious at Willis for, as he called it, ‘blowing him off.’ Pappas couldn’t understand why Willis wasn’t straightforward. All he had to do was text back that he was out of town.”
“How did you get involved in the first place? Did Willis send you to the luncheon?” Dolores asked the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
“You know he would never involve me in anything remotely connected to the business. He thought I was a complete idiot. The first time Willis heard that I had represented him was when he got the letter from Pappas. This entire snafu falls squarely on Norman’s shoulders. You see, Willis sent Pappas’s text to Norman and told him to represent the company by meeting with Pappas.”
I could visualize the catastrophe in the making. “Norman had other plans that day?”
“He sure did. And she must have been a real hot number, because he paid me a thousand dollars to go to lunch with Pappas and be congenial. And we figured by the time Willis came home Pappas would be back on the West Coast and long forgotten. To be honest, Norman’s been helping me out over the years by having me represent the company at useless meetings and paying me off the books so Willis never knew.”
“But this time Mr. Pappas wrote a letter,” I said.
“Yes. And Willis went ballistic. He blasted me from here to kingdom come. Told me I was never to go near any of his business associates again. I thought he’d take a similar piece out of Norman’s hide, but since mine was the name in the letter, he sent for me first. With Willis round two was never as bad as round one, so Norman just did a little genuflecting and the incident passed.”
Clancy squinted at his phone. “It’s getting late. I have to pick up Abby and drive her from school to dance class.”
I put my hand on Dolores’s arm, but it was too little, too late.
“Tell me the truth,” Dolores demanded. “Did you drink any alcohol today?”
Clancy began to squirm. He leaned so far back that I feared he would fall off the bench he was sitting on. “No. Of course not. It’s the middle of the afternoon. Why would you even ask such a question?”
Dolores stood up and planted her hands firmly on her hips, her voice getting louder with every word. “Clancy, you know why. You have multiple DUI arrests that you have been hiding from the family, and all the while you are putting our Abby in jeopardy.”
Clancy crumpled like a punctured tire. “I would never.” He stopped, and started again. “I would never jeopardize Abby’s safety. Never!”
“And what about your own? The poor child has lost her mother and now her grandfather, and you risk your life every single time you get behind the wheel after you’ve had one too many. You won’t be happy until she’s a full orphan.”
Clancy slashed back, “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Then you’d have Abby all to yourself.”
“At least when I drive her anywhere I will always be sober. Maybe you should stay here and I should pick her up from school.”
“Clancy, Dolores, stop it right now.” I was beginning to fear they would come to blows. “I personally think you are both too upset to get behind the wheel of a car. We have Elton and a roomy Escalade at our disposal. Why don’t you let him drive the two of you to the school? And for goodness’ sake, act as though you like each other. It’s important for Abby to see the two people she loves getting along.”
Neither answered me.
After a long silence I said, “Do I have to go along to keep you from arm wrestling in the car?”
Dolores broke first. “Clancy, we can hash this out later but for Abby’s sake we should be civil, and perhaps our going together to pick her up from school would be a start.”
Clancy shrugged, which I hoped meant Why not? but he didn’t answer.
Dolores said, “Besides, I think Abby will love the captain’s chairs in the Escalade. Don’t you, Jess?”
Before I could agree, Clancy said, “Okay, for Abby’s sake I’m in, but very soon we’ll have to have a long talk about how our relationship proceeds from here.”
Dolores said she would look forward to it and went off to find Elton.
Clancy got up and gathered his golf clubs.
Before he left, I took the opportunity to say, “That was very gracious of you.”
“Well, the fact is, after my first conviction for drunk driving I had to pay a fine and was sentenced to one hundred hours of community service, instead of spending thirty days in jail and having my license suspended. I was lucky the judge took my circumstances into account and reduced it to a restricted license because I am a single parent. I was allowed to drive Abby to activities and to visit relatives, do the food shopping, things like that.”
“And that’s how you kept Willis from finding out.”
“Willis and everyone else. But time went by, I got sloppy, and one night coming home from a—well, I may as well say it—coming home from a date, I got pulled over for a burned-out taillight and out came the old Breathalyzer. My lawyer says I am definitely going to lose my license this time. I’m only glad that Willis isn’t here to see it.” Clancy smiled wryly. “He would lambaste me, although I am chagrined to see that Dolores seems quite capable of filling that role. Looks like Willis married the right girl. And I’d better get to the car before she comes looking for me.”
I sat for a few minutes enjoying the serenity. Dolores and Clancy certainly had far more issues to work out than I’d realized. But if they both put Abby’s best interest first, I was sure it could be done.
Then I noticed Marjory Ribault, wearing a red cape and carrying a small basket, walking along the path through the pine trees. The scene reminded me of the fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood.
I offered her a glass of sweet tea, and while I poured she put her basket, which was full of blueberries, on the table and took a seat.
“There are blueberry bushes on the other side of my house, and they are laden with fresh fruit. Lucinda likes to use them in her baking.”
I said, “I’ve been fortunate enough to sample some of her baked treats. She works magic with blueberries.”
Marla Mae came out from the kitchen. “Here, let me refill that pitcher. Would y’all like a snack? We have sugar cookies and brownies.”
I passed, but Marjory opted for sugar cookies and asked Marla Mae to bring the blueberries to Lucinda. We sat enjoying the cool afternoon breeze.
Marjory said, “I could hear Dolores clear over at the blueberry bushes. I couldn’t tell what all had her upset but I could hear the rage in her voice. I certainly wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”
I stayed mute.
After a while, Marjory tried again. “Was it about the jewelry?”
Now I was startled. Did she mean Claudia’s jewelry? That was such a private fight between Willis and Dolores that even Lucinda didn’t know the cause; how could Marjory?
“I don’t know what you mean.” Playing dumb usually got more information than most other tactics.
“Willis’s first wife, Claudia, had about a million dollars in fine jewels, which should have gone to Emily but somehow never did. Well, to hear Clancy tell it, every time Emily asked her father about the jewels, he put her off for one reason or another. Clancy was getting quite frustrated, and then Emily died, and well, Willis still has the jewelry, or I suppose it’s more accurate to say Dolores has it now. The jewelry should have gone to Emily, and then to Clancy for the little girl. Such a shame.”
I was in a position to know it wasn’t a shame at all, that Dolores had made sure Abby would get her grandmother’s jewels, but I pretended to be aghast. “Are you sure about this? Are you certain this jewelry actually exists?”
Marjory bobbed her head repeatedly. “Oh yes, quite sure. Clancy drank one too many martinis during a fairly large dinner party here at Manning Hall. He got flippant with Willis a time or two, and before real trouble could start Candy and I brought him out to the sitting garden to clear his head, and that’s when he told us. He was quite emphatic, even . . . indiscreet.”
“Indiscreet? In what way?”
“Well, he said his antique business—which, frankly, I always thought was more of a hobby—wasn’t doing well and if he had the jewelry he could take out loans against it. That way he wouldn’t have to hit up his daughter’s trust fund so often.”
I was shocked. “Oh my, he was absolutely reckless in revealing such personal information. Besides you and Candy, was anyone else there? Is it possible other people know about his financial woes?”
“Well, somewhere in the middle of Clancy’s rant Norman came out for a cigar. He is the one who finally got Clancy to stop ranting. I believe his exact words were ‘Shut up, you fool. You’ve said far too much already.’ And of course there’s Tom—I’m sure he knows. Candy tells him everything.”
That’s what you think floated through my mind.
“And speaking of Candy, I am a little . . . not exactly worried, but close—let’s say concerned.”
“Really? Why are you concerned?” I feigned ignorance. “I stopped by Jessamine House yesterday, and she seemed fine when I saw her.”
“You’re probably right. She just doesn’t seem herself since Willis died. She’s always on edge. I guess we’re all in turmoil. Everyone was so upset by the shock of Willis’s death, and now the sheriff has deemed it a murder.” Marjory shivered. “Well, that makes it bone-chilling. Positively bone-chilling. I mean, one minute we were all together, and within hours Willis was dead, and someone made it happen.”
Obviously Marjory didn’t know the secrets of Candy’s past.
She stood. “Well, that’s enough doom and gloom for one day. I’d better get home. Jessica, it was lovely to have tea the other day. Please stop by anytime you are out for a jog.”
The kitchen door opened and Abby called, “Miss Jessica, come see the big surprise.”
And the door slammed shut. Well, she’s here and she’s laughing, so Dolores and Clancy must have pulled off the ride home from the school pickup line without any angst or confrontation.
I entered the kitchen and it was filled with smiling people. Clancy, Dolores, and Elton were standing in front of the kitchen table while Lucinda and Marla Mae stood near the sink.
“Close your eyes,” Abby commanded.
I did as I was told. She took my hand and led me slowly toward the table, giggling all the way.
“When I count to three, you can open your eyes. One . . . two . . . three . . . open,” Abby shouted.
Everyone started to clap and laugh. On the table sat what I thought was a chocolate sheet cake until I read the sign next to it that declared it to be COLA CAKE in big letters.
“It’s snack time,” Abby proclaimed. Dolores began cutting the cake while Marla Mae offered hot tea, sweet tea, and coffee to the grown-ups. Lucinda put a healthy-sized glass of milk on the table in front of Abby.
Everyone crowded around to watch me take my first-ever bite of cola cake, and they cheered when I pronounced it delicious.
“Can I crash this party, or is it by invitation only?” Norman Crayfield had come down the hallway and stood in the kitchen doorway.
Dolores grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room. “Come, join us, please. We’re celebrating Jessica’s first taste of cola cake, but not her last, I’m sure.”
“Most certainly not my last!” I agreed.
Norman folded his arms. “I can’t imagine what Willis Nickens would think of this: family, friends, and servants all carousing together. Not his kind of party, that’s for sure.”
And in a flash the joy dissipated. Norman had managed to remind everyone of the pall Willis had often cast on social occasions. Only Abby didn’t notice. Her mouth delightfully covered with chocolate, she held up her plate. “First one finished.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Marla Mae cut a piece of cola cake and handed it to Norman, who smiled his thanks and said, “Jessica, I, for one, am doubly delighted you are here. Of course I’m happy for your gracious company, but it’s been an age since I had some of Lucinda’s delicious cola cake.”
Clancy said, “Norman, I was looking for you earlier, hoping we could spend some time on the putting green, but I understand you left early this morning. What were you up to today?”
Norman held up his fork, using it like a pause button, giving him time to swallow his cake—or, I thought, perhaps to decide what his answer would be.
“Business, buddy boy, always business. I have to step up now since . . . That reminds me, Dolores—there is absolutely no rush, but I can go over any details about how we run the business whenever you are comfortable doing so. There’s not a lot you need to know, but I am at your beck and call.” He smiled, quite satisfied with himself. It was evident that Norman was hoping his version of mansplaining would convince the world, or at least Dolores, that business decisions should be left to him.
I wondered what he’d say when he found out that Dolores was the major shareholder in Quartermaster and that she intended to act the part once everything got sorted.
The house phone rang, and Lucinda immediately answered the kitchen extension. She put her hand over the mouthpiece and said, “Miss Dolores, you’d best take this call in your office.”
I didn’t miss that it was no longer “Mr. Willis’s office.” Score one for Dolores.
Clancy and Norman huddled in a corner, talking about golf. Elton asked Abby about her day at school. She started out by telling him how much her friends liked meeting Fluffy.
Lucinda moved to the pantry doorway and signaled me to follow. Her tone was both low and serious. “That was Mr. McGuire’s office on the phone. Perhaps you should . . .”
“Say no more.”
I slipped
out of the kitchen and hovered in the foyer until Dolores opened the office door. I ushered her back inside.
“Apparently I have an appointment at the Sheriff’s Department to be interviewed at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Mr. McGuire will meet me in the Grits and Gravy Café at nine thirty. He said we don’t need privacy because we won’t be talking about substance. He simply wants to give me a few pointers on demeanor.”
I said, “He certainly seems to be good at what he does. By meeting first, having a light conversation and perhaps a cup of coffee, he’s hoping to help you be less nervous, more prepared for the rigors of the interview.”
“Jess, would you mind . . . ? Do you think you could . . . ?”
“Accompany you? Of course, I’d be happy to.”
“Well, I’m sure they won’t let you into the interview. You should bring a book or something. You might be in the waiting room for a long time.”
I put my arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll find something to do. And since we are going to be out, why don’t we make a day of it? Why don’t you see if you can get an appointment with Marcus Holmes for tomorrow afternoon?”
“That’s a great idea. If we can get all the lawyer nonsense out of the way in the same day, then we can relax for a while.”
I didn’t say a word. I was fairly certain Dolores would not be able to relax in the near future, but she was in such a cheerful mood I decided to change the subject.
“How did you and Clancy manage riding together to pick up Abby?” I asked.
“Clancy was civil but frosty toward me. It helped to have Elton in the car. Clancy asked him a question about some sports team or another and in a few minutes they were chatting like old friends. By the time Abby got in the car we were behaving like a normal family, with the recent spat forgotten.” She stopped, then picked up the thread. “Of course, it’s not forgotten. I know I’m going to have to do something about Clancy’s drinking. But that’s for another day.”
Killing in a Koi Pond Page 18
