“How awful. Why did Dorothy listen to her aunt?”
“The way I heard it, Dorothy’s mother spoiled her, but her aunt expected her to behave. She respected Evelyn and wanted to please her.”
“I’m glad someone managed to make her behave.”
“I had my own Dorothy experience the first week on the job.” Angela paused to sip her mango lassi. “Mmm, this is yummy.”
“What happened?”
“She came over to the circulation desk where Fran and I were working and said that since things were slow at the desk, surely Fran could work alone an hour or so while I did some research for a patron. I refused. Dorothy fumed and fussed, then settled down. Or so I thought. A few days later, when we were backed up with more than the usual amount of returns, she told Sally I wasn’t reshelving books and tapes after they’d been checked in.”
“What did you do?”
“I told Sally the situation, then I tackled Dorothy.” Angela’s grin was devilish. “I said two could play at her game. To prove it, I had four pizzas delivered to her at the library. Dorothy is the one person on earth who hates pizza. For all her bluster, she hates dealing with problems. She finally called the pizzeria and said it was a mistake, but she knew it was me and never messed with me again.”
I frowned. “I thought the rubber spider would have stopped her from coming after me.”
“Dorothy hates spiders, but your offense is huge in her eyes. She wants to be head of P and E, and you took it away from her.”
“I didn’t take it away from her.”
Angela rolled her eyes. “I know that. You know that. Sally knows it, as does the rest of the world. But Dorothy’s stuck in her own mind-set. She thinks the position was meant for her and her alone.”
“Sally seems to think well of Dorothy.”
“Ha!” Angela found that amusing. “I think Sally’s well aware of Dorothy’s shenanigans and wants to stay on her good side. Dorothy doesn’t get along with most people, and that included Laura Foster.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t here then, but Marion Marshall told me that Laura was hired to work in reference. Because she was cheerful and patient, patrons started requesting her instead of Dorothy.” Angela chuckled. “Sometimes three or four people would be sitting around, waiting for their turn with Laura. Dorothy was beside herself. This time, she knew enough not to complain to Sally. Instead, she took it out on Laura. It got so unpleasant for Laura, she finally asked Sally to move her to a different department. Sally said she could work in the other departments occasionally, but if she wanted her job, she had to stay in reference because she was needed there.”
“Did they get into any serious blowups?”
Angela glanced up as she thought. “A few. The worst was a few days before Laura was murdered.” When she caught my expression, her mouth fell open in disbelief. “You don’t think Dorothy killed Laura, do you?”
“It never occurred to me. But then, I never knew Dorothy bullied Laura and had a reason to want her gone.”
“The police got wind of the quarrel and questioned Dorothy. In fact, Al Buckley came into the library to interview her. I don’t know what took place—nobody does—but for the next few days, Dorothy walked around with a terrified expression on her face.”
“Do you think Dorothy could have killed Laura?” I asked Angela.
“If we’re assuming that the same person killed Laura and Al, then Dorothy’s off the hook. Since she wasn’t at Al’s presentation, there’s no way she could have poisoned him.”
Painful as it was, I forced myself to remember that evening. “You’re right. I don’t remember seeing her then.”
“That afternoon, Dorothy told me she wouldn’t waste her time listening to a cop who’d been drunk on the job the first time he investigated the case. I made a point of looking for her to see if she meant what she’d said.”
“The police didn’t charge her for Laura’s death.”
“No, but she was one of the very few people who didn’t like Laura. Both patrons and staff members still tell me what a wonderful person she was.”
“Really?” I said.
“You sound surprised.”
Evelyn had implied that Laura wasn’t quite the wonderful person everyone raved about, but I couldn’t very well tell that to Angela.
Before I could think of a plausible answer, Angela glanced at her watch. “Jeez, all this jabbering, and we’ve ten minutes to eat some dessert and get back to the library on time.”
We served ourselves generous portions of gulab jamun—fried milk-based dumplings in honey syrup—and ate every last crumb. We paid the bill and agreed we’d come again soon.
Jared called as we were walking back to the library. I said I’d call him when I got to my office.
Angela’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “And who was that?”
I shrugged. “A friend.”
“Jared Foster, per chance?”
I stared at her. “Yes, as a matter of fact. How did you know?”
She grinned. “A friend saw you guys at Antonio’s.”
Are there spies everywhere in Clover Ridge? “We’re not dating.”
“Uh-huh.”
I wasn’t about to tell Angela that Jared and I were trying to find out who killed his mother and Al. Still, she might know something about the people involved.
“We met the night Al Buckley came to speak at the library. Al introduced me to Jared. The two had remained friendly since Laura’s murder. I called Jared afterward to see how he was doing.”
Angels shook her head. “What a horrible business. First, Laura Foster’s murdered. When Al claims he knows who did it, he’s poisoned under our noses.”
“Did you know Al?”
“When my older brother Tommy was in high school, he never missed a chance to raise hell and get into trouble with the law. More often than not, Al Buckley brought him home instead of arresting him. My parents were always grateful for that.”
“Where’s Tommy now?”
“Out in Hollywood making films. Kind of like Tarantino’s, only bloodier.”
I laughed. “I’m glad he found his outlet.”
“Al sensed Tommy was meant for better things, though personally, I don’t think Tommy’s movies are anything to rave about,” she confided as we entered the library.
Chapter Seventeen
Back in my office, I greeted Trish and then went downstairs to introduce myself to the psychic who had a monthly program and drew a large crowd. She was charming and exuded an air of compassion and good humor. I was tempted to stay but thought I’d better get back to work.
I replayed my conversation with Angela. Of course Dorothy had disliked Laura. She disliked anyone she couldn’t control or outdo. But that didn’t mean she had killed her. If she had, she’d have made it her business to attend Al Buckley’s talk to find out what evidence he’d uncovered. On the other hand, she might have chosen to avoid the possibility of a public accusation. Regardless, she hadn’t come to the program, so she couldn’t have poisoned Al. And if she hadn’t poisoned Al, she hadn’t murdered Laura.
My focus jumped to Evelyn and how horrified she’d been by her niece’s act of vandalism. A sense of excitement filled me as my thoughts led me down a completely different avenue.
Evelyn had been nothing but helpful to me when it came to library procedures, but she’d remained inexplicably silent whenever the subject of Laura Foster arose. The only piece of information she’d offered was that Ken Talbot had come to see Laura a few times. And that had proved to be a dead end.
I suddenly understood! Evelyn was terrified that her niece—the nasty, malicious Dorothy—had murdered Laura Foster and maybe even Al Buckley. Evelyn loved Dorothy, but she didn’t much like her. Dorothy was her sister’s daughter—her own flesh and blood—and Evelyn couldn’t bring herself to point a finger at her.
What if I could convince her that Dorothy wasn’t the murderer? Then perhaps Evelyn would
be willing to help me solve the two homicides.
Trish was working on the next newsletter. She greeted me with a smile. “Sally was by. She’d like you to man the hospitality desk for a few hours.”
“Thanks. Will do.”
I enjoyed sitting at the hospitality desk, signing up patrons for courses and helping them with general questions. Three women were waiting to sign up for next month’s series of yoga classes. I took their names and checks and then called Jared back.
“How are you, Carrie? It’s been bedlam here in the office. I feel as if we haven’t spoken in ages.”
“A lot’s been happening here too.”
“How did the party go?”
“I think it’s safe to call it a success. I believe everyone who came had a great time.”
“So what’s the problem?”
I laughed. “You can hear it in my voice? Someone broke my car window last night, and I know who did it. Dorothy Hawkins.”
“That awful woman! My mother hated having to work with her. She would have quit if not for the pay.”
“I heard she made your mother’s life miserable.”
“Yeah!” Jared laughed. “That’s why Ryan and I played a trick on her.”
“What did you do?”
“Mom came home every night with a new Dorothy story about what she had to put up with. So Ryan had this idea to pretend to be ghosts. We found a pipe in the basement that made our voices sound weird. One night, we went to Dorothy’s house and jimmied up a window when she was alone in the den watching TV. We pretended to be dead people and said we saw the awful things she did. We took turns threatening her with what we’d do if she didn’t change her ways. She shrieked and screamed. When her husband came downstairs to see what was wrong, we ran away.”
“Was she nicer to your mother after that?”
“For a few days. Then things got worse.”
“I suppose she realized it was a prank and not ghosts at all. Maybe she figured it was you and your brother and thought your mom put you up to it.”
“Which she didn’t. Poor Mom. By the way, Helena bought a condo, but not in my community, thank God. Turns out, she snagged ‘a steal,’ as she put it, in Devon Woods. The owner remodeled the entire unit and then died suddenly. Her children wanted to sell ASAP.”
“Lucky Helena. Those condos usually sell for close to a million dollars. How did you find all this out?”
“My dad mentioned it. She called him to say she was moving back.”
“What nerve, calling your father after her awful announcement about your parents’ marriage.”
Jared laughed. “That’s Helena. She thinks she can say anything she likes, and the funny thing is, she gets away with it. As for Dad, he never could hold a grudge. Of course, my brother’s angry at him for speaking to her.”
“How is Ryan?” I asked.
“Better than usual. He started dating someone a few weeks ago, and I think he really likes this girl. His temper is much improved.”
We hung up, saying we’d talk again in a day or two. It occurred to me that the effects of the boys’ prank and my fake spider had worn off in a few days. On the other hand, Dorothy was terrified of ghosts.
At three thirty, Sally stopped by the hospitality desk and said she’d take over. I returned to my office, where Trish was still working on the newsletter. I wished I had a way to contact Evelyn. Maybe once I convinced her that Dorothy hadn’t killed Laura, she’d be more helpful and tell me more about Laura and what she was like just before she died.
* * *
Uncle Bosco called me on Thursday to say that my car window would be fixed by five that afternoon.
“Would you like me to drive you to the garage so you can pick it up?” he asked.
“Sure, that would be great. I’m happy they were able to fix it so quickly.”
Uncle Bosco laughed. “I’ve been doing business with Jim Bailey as long as we both can remember. He was happy to do me the favor.”
I swallowed. “Did he say how much it will cost? I have a pretty big deductible.”
“Carrie, dear, don’t give it a thought. I’m taking care of it.”
“No. I can’t let you—”
“Consider it a parting gift from Aunt Harriet and me. Which reminds me, we’d like to take you to dinner tonight—at Spotters, if that pleases you.”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. Spotters was the new upscale chophouse fifteen minutes from Clover Ridge. It was highly touted by food critics as the best steak house in the area. Sally had mentioned that her husband had made reservations there for her birthday in May.
“I’d love to eat there. How did you get a reservation? Even during the week . . .” I started to laugh because I should have known better. Uncle Bosco could get pretty much anything he liked in and around Clover Ridge.
I said good-bye to Uncle Bosco, luxuriating in the warm glow of his care. For the first time in my life, an adult—someone older than me—was looking after me. Making sure I was enjoying some of the goodies in life.
But was it right that Uncle Bosco could get pretty much whatever he wanted? I agonized over this as I answered e-mails and stopped by classes and programs in progress. He served on many committees in town. He contributed to projects like the library’s renovation. Did that entitle him to privileges?
I couldn’t help wondering if Uncle Bosco had pressured Sally to offer me the position of head of P and E. I had the unsettling thought that maybe Dorothy was right, and the only reason I had the job and she didn’t was because my uncle was on the library board.
Chapter Eighteen
Evelyn was waiting for me in my office when I arrived at the library on Friday morning.
“Am I glad to see you!” I said. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about Dorothy.”
“I know.” There was no sign of her usual good cheer. I wondered why.
“How did you know?”
“I can sense it.”
“In that case, why didn’t you come sooner?”
Evelyn nibbled her lip. “I’m a coward. I dread hearing about more awful things Dorothy has done.”
“You care about Dorothy and wish you could help make her a better person.”
“I do.” When she lifted her head, I saw sorrow in her eyes.
“Your niece is a piece of work, but she’s not a murderer.”
“How do you know?”
“Since she didn’t kill Al, she didn’t kill Laura.”
Evelyn shot me a look of pure skepticism. “That sounds like cockeyed logic to me.”
“Dorothy wasn’t here the evening Al gave his presentation, so she couldn’t have poisoned him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“And Laura?” Evelyn’s voice was fretful. “How that foolish girl envied Laura because all the patrons liked her and wanted her to help them. I told Dorothy they would like her as well if she smiled and spoke in a pleasant manner, but she thought she knew better because she was the librarian, and I was only an aide. She said her job was to answer questions and look up information. She wasn’t being paid to be an entertainer as well.”
I snorted. “What an attitude. Was she always this sour?”
Evelyn released a deep sigh. “Dorothy was a difficult child—envious of her siblings and her classmates. I had no children of my own and often helped my sister care for her three. I was closest to Dorothy. For all her shenanigans, she tugged at my heartstrings.”
Evelyn’s smile was bittersweet as she gazed into the past. “I was the one person she turned to. She listened to her Aunt Ev. I could manage to calm her when she would have one of her outbursts and get her to see reason.”
“Too bad her disposition never improved.”
“Dorothy had a few rough patches as an adult, which embittered her more. She made no friends, except Sally. Most of her coworkers run from her, and with good reason. I can only imagine how she treats her husband and wonder why he stays with her.”
>
“I’m sorry she’s been upsetting you.”
“I was so afraid she’d killed Laura and too terrified to ask if she had. The police heard of her argument with Laura just before Laura was murdered and questioned Dorothy several times. She walked around pale and nervous for weeks afterward. I never knew if she was innocent or if they simply didn’t have enough evidence to charge her.”
“Well, now you can rest easy.”
Evelyn thrust back her shoulders. “No, I can’t. I don’t like the way she’s treated you from the first day you came to work in the library. Instead of making you her friend, she’s envious because you’re young and pretty and your uncle is held in high esteem by everyone in town. I’m grateful to you for not telling him what nasty things she’s been doing to you. Smashing the window was the limit!”
I threw up my hands. “What can I do to stop her?”
Suddenly Evelyn’s demeanor changed. She broke out in a grin, and a minute later, she was giggling. “Tell her that her Aunt Ev is watching her every move and is deeply disappointed.”
I shivered as Evelyn leaned over the desk to whisper in my ear. A minute later, I was giggling with her.
“I’m exhausted.” She started to fade. “I’ll be back soon to find out how everything went.”
Five minutes later, someone knocked on my door. Before I could say “Come in,” Sally stepped into my office. She looked flustered.
“Hi, Sally. Is everything all right?”
“Why shouldn’t everything be all right?”
I shrugged. “Just wondering.”
“It’s the opposite, in fact.”
I stared at her as she stood on the other side of my desk. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
She dropped into a chair. “I wanted you to know I’ve been getting phone calls.”
Death Overdue Page 14
