by Krista Davis
I leaned toward her. “Madison, does it seem odd to you that both Gage and Hollis have died?”
“I thought I was the only one who would consider that. The thought certainly crossed my mind. But it’s evident that Kelsey knocked off Hollis. Haven’t you heard? She’s having an affair with their handyman.”
“I have heard that. So you don’t think there could be a connection between Gage’s death and Hollis’s?”
“I don’t see how.”
I threw a barbed question her way. “Doesn’t Parker stand to gain a lot as the last man standing?”
Madison drew a quick breath. “I suppose he does. Are you suggesting that he murdered both of them?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. It’s just odd that two lawyers from the same firm have died so unexpectedly.”
“Another one of life’s weird twists, I guess.”
I nodded and rose to leave. “Do you happen to have a list of the waitstaff at the underground dinner? I’ve been looking for a lovely blond waitress who did such a wonderful job serving.” I fibbed a little. “I’d like to add her to my list of people to call when I need servers at events.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. I really might call her if things worked out. But the truth was that I wanted to know what her little conversation with Parker was about.
Madison walked over to a desk and pulled out a list. “I hired them through an agency—Let Us Serve You. But I think I know who you were talking about. Ponytail, no makeup but adorable?”
“That sounds like her.”
“Fawn, I think. Yes, Fawn Fitzhugh.”
“Thanks, Madison. Keep me posted if you hear anything about Gavin, okay?”
She walked me to the door, saying, “Of course. Thanks for dropping by.”
I walked out into the heat again, thinking that had been a big bomb. It was probably a long shot, but it still worried me that Hollis and Gage had both died under unusual circumstances. I was only a couple of blocks away from Alex’s office. I hoofed it over there.
Located on the first floor of an old building that had once been a home, Alex’s office was the epitome of Old Town elegance with oriental carpets and swagged Colonial-style window valences.
His receptionist was not at her desk. I poked my head into his office. “Anyone home?”
He looked up from his computer. “Hi! What are you up to?” He rose and circled the desk to kiss me.
“You’re going to have a hard battle defending Kelsey.”
“Uh-oh. Sophie, don’t get involved.”
“Too late.” I plopped down in a leather chair while he perched on the edge of his desk.
“I don’t want to fight about this, Sophie. You know I can’t tell you anything.”
“I’m not here about Kelsey. What do you know about Parker, Hollis, and Gage?”
Alex focused at me. “It’s a respected firm.”
“And?”
“You think there’s a connection between Hollis’s death and Gage’s?”
“Could be. I haven’t run across anything specific, though. Any rumors out there?”
“There was a lot of talk about Gage’s death. It was bizarrely out of character for him. Kind of like me getting loaded and falling into the river. It just wasn’t very likely to happen. Gage was a worthy opponent. Always the gentleman. He was an old-school lawyer. No histrionics in court, just good, competent representation. I admit that I’m precise and particular, but I don’t even compare to Gage, who was absolutely meticulous.”
“Any possibility that he had a drinking problem?”
“In my experience that can be an easy thing to hide—for a while anyway. He wasn’t the kind of guy to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Not like Hollis.”
“So if he was under a lot of stress, he might have turned to booze to help him relax?”
“Could be, but that’s just idle speculation.” He grinned at me. “What are you up to, Sophie Winston? Don’t you usually throw these wacky theories around with your friends?”
“Everyone thinks Kelsey is guilty. She bought foggers. She left the house when Hollis went to bed, and she went to the home of a previous boyfriend. Doesn’t look good, Counselor. Add in that she changed her name to that of her deceased sister, and cap it all off with the fact that she killed someone in the past, and the prosecution has a slam dunk.”
I’d never seen that expression on Alex’s face before. He rubbed the back of his neck and then gazed at me in what appeared to be astonishment.
“What makes you think she changed her name and killed someone before?”
“I have a computer.”
“You found that online?” Now he looked worried.
“Yup, right there for the whole world to see.”
Alex sat in the chair opposite me, leaned his elbows on his knees, and looked me in the eyes. “Then why do you want to help her?”
“I don’t think she killed Hollis. It’s just a feeling that I get when I’m with her. Besides, Kelsey has street smarts. She evaded the law and made her own way in the world. If she had wanted to kill Hollis, she wouldn’t have left such an obvious trail. The last time she killed someone, she took off and started a new life. She didn’t do that this time. Her marriage to Hollis must have been like a dream come true. I don’t think she would kill the font of her new comfortable life.”
“I believe I have severely underestimated you.” Alex grinned at me.
“You’re just saying that because I don’t think your client is guilty. If she goes to trial, even such a brilliant lawyer as yourself will have trouble convincing a jury of her innocence.”
He leaned his head back and laughed, which was a huge relief to me. We had argued far too many times about local murders. I understood that he couldn’t talk about his clients. That was fine with me. But we invariably butted heads when I thought his client was guilty.
Even though the door was open, Alex’s receptionist knocked. “Your four o’clock appointment is here.”
I jumped to my feet. “Dinner tonight?” I asked.
“Rain check?”
“Sure.” I pecked him on the cheek and walked out into the reception area. His next client was a buxom brunette with a wasp waist and legs like a giraffe. If I’d been the jealous type, I would have been worried.
I strolled home, enjoying the leisurely feeling of not having to work. I stopped by the grocery store, where I purchased a large flank steak. The green grocer was having a sale on beautiful huge strawberries. I couldn’t resist buying a couple of packages.
I took them home, washed them, and dabbed them dry with paper towels. I hulled them, cut them in half lengthwise, and arranged them in circles of decreasing size on the tart. I whipped some cream with just a little bit of sugar and vanilla. After filling a pastry bag with the cream, I piped a decorative border of cream around the top edge.
I slid it into the fridge and took out the flank steak. I measured bourbon, canola oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper into a bowl and whisked until the liquids had emulsified and no longer separated. After smashing each garlic clove with the flat side of a large knife, I removed the skins, minced them, and added them to the liquid, which I poured over the meat.
Just as I finished, my cell phone chimed. I glanced at it to see what was going on. Nina had texted, Library. Come quick!
I slid the marinating meat into the refrigerator, checked on Mochie, who slept soundly, and rushed out the door, stopping to lock it behind me. I had never been much of a runner, but I attempted to half jog straight to the library. I was panting like crazy when I saw a police car was parked outside. When I staggered closer, I recognized Wolf’s unmarked vehicle, too.
I wanted to run up the steps, but I wobbled up them instead. A crowd had gathered around the entrance to the special records room. Saying “excuse me” repeatedly, I wormed my way through the people who had gathered. Nina spotted me and waved me inside.
Wong and Wolf kneeled on the floor in front of a bookcase. Both of them wore gloves.
>
Jay hovered nearby. He wore his trademark red bow tie and looked very distinguished, but there was no mistaking the shock on his face.
“What happened?” I whispered to Nina.
“Jay found four empty bottles of fogger hidden behind old books.”
Chapter 22
Dear Sophie,
I’m not much of a cook, but I would like to bring something to a family who just lost a loved one. I’m at a loss about what to give them. Could you make some suggestions?
Clueless in Deadmans Corner, Maine
Dear Clueless,
So many people focus on lunch and dinner dishes, that something the family can grab and eat for breakfast is often appreciated. Coffeecake, muffins, and the like are readily available at bakeries. One family I know was thrilled to receive a small Christmas tree complete with lights and ornaments because they couldn’t focus on the upcoming holiday.
Sophie
“Cindy!” I whispered to her. Who else would hide the murder weapon in the library? I had put her name at the top of my list of suspects. Poor Gavin! What would happen to him? His father was dead, and if his mother went to prison . . .
So Kelsey had been telling the truth. Unless, of course, someone was trying to frame Cindy.
“In one way,” Nina said, “it was a brilliant move. It could have gone undiscovered for years.”
“Or she could have removed them around Halloween when the hubbub about bees and foggers and Hollis’s death weren’t foremost in everyone’s thoughts. If she had thrown them in a Dumpster somewhere then, no one would have given them any thought.”
Nina tugged me toward Jay. “You’re in here every day. How come you didn’t notice these sooner?” she whispered.
Wolf looked up at us. I got the feeling he wanted to know the answer to that question, too.
“They keep collections of pamphlets—things that were sold, advertisements, and such down on that shelf. They aren’t directly related to my line of research.”
Wolf got to his feet. “What exactly are you researching?”
Jay shot me a desperate glance. “The history of my house.”
That appeared to satisfy Wolf. There was no need for him to know about the ghostly voices Jay was hearing.
“Are they the missing foggers from the Haberman house?” I asked Wolf.
“That would be my guess. I can’t think of any other good reason to stash empty foggers in a library. Anyone else would have thrown them into the trash,” said Wolf. “But this isn’t like finding blood on a knife that we can link directly to the victim. Unless there are fingerprints on the cans, it might be hard to prove that they are the foggers used in Hollis’s death.”
Unless, I thought, the accused happened to be a very popular librarian.
Additional police officers showed up and it was beginning to get crowded. “I think it’s time to make our exit,” I said to Nina.
She was reluctant to leave but finally acquiesced. “I can’t believe it could have been Cindy. She’s always so gentle and kind. I was certain Kelsey had killed Hollis.”
On the walk home, I filled her in on the entire saga of that night as Kelsey had relayed it to me. “So she was with Angus, but only to be nice and help him out.”
Nina stopped in her tracks. “That could have been me!”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the kind of thing I would do for an old friend.” She looked at me with a gleam in her eyes. “We really ought to bring Angus something, don’t you think?”
“You mean you want to pump him and verify what Kelsey told me?”
Nina feigned innocence. “Moi? Would I do that?”
“Why do I think it’s not a coincidence that we’re across the street from Big Daddy’s Bakery?”
“I do love his cupcakes.”
We crossed the street and bought two half-dozen boxes of cupcakes. One for Angus, and one for us. Nina selected peanut butter with chocolate buttercream, chocolate with chocolate frosting, vanilla with vanilla buttercream, strawberry with a lovely pink frosting, and two salted caramel cupcakes for each box because she knew we would both want one. Nina wasn’t a half a cupcake kind of person except in emergencies.
Armed with our excuse to visit, we walked down to Duke Street.
The two of us strolled up the stairs to the stoop at Angus’s front door, and I banged the octopus knocker.
There was no answer.
“I have to do this. I never saw an octopus door knocker.” Nina raised her hand and grasped the octopus head. She shuddered. “It’s a little creepy.” She banged it loud enough to alert the entire neighborhood.
“I guess he’s not home. We’ll have to try again later.” I walked down the steps.
“Sophie . . .” Nina’s voice was shaky. “The door’s not locked.”
I looked up at her. “Nina!”
She had already opened the door. “Angus!” she sang. “We brought you some goodies.”
By the time I reached the landing, she was already inside Angus’s house.
“Nina!” I hissed. “Get out of there.”
“It’s not breaking and entering if the door isn’t locked.”
“Actually, I think it is. And if it’s not, then it’s certainly trespassing.”
“It’s decorated in early man cave.”
“What does that mean?” I asked from the stoop.
“Sports stuff.”
“Will you get out of there?”
There was a long silence. Too long. “Nina?”
“Sophie!” she screamed.
I dashed inside, thinking the worst. Someone must have caught her inside the house. She interrupted a burglary or something. “Nina! Where are you?”
The house was very narrow. It wasn’t difficult to locate her. She stood near the doors of the living room that led to a brick patio. Angus lay at her feet.
I gasped at the sight of him. “Noooo!”
His hands curled limply near his neck. There was no sign of blood.
Nina grabbed my arm with a trembling hand. In the other hand, she still held the bag containing boxes of cupcakes.
I was pretty sure Angus wouldn’t be eating any more cupcakes. My hands quivered, too, as I punched 911 on my cell phone as fast as I could. The dispatcher asked if I hadn’t called about the same address earlier that day. I assured her this was a separate event.
I handed the phone to Nina and walked around Angus’s body. I knelt on the floor, reached for his neck, and tried to find a pulse. He was already cold. I had little hope of finding any sign of life but continued to search for a pulse and realized that his neck bore the imprint of something used to choke him.
“How can you touch him?” asked Nina.
“If he has a pulse, we need to do CPR. Maybe we should anyway.” I debated between rolling him over to try CPR and leaving him exactly as he was so I wouldn’t mess with the evidence. In the end, it was his cold skin that made me decide to wait for the authorities. “I think he was choked to death.”
It wasn’t long before we heard sirens. I rushed to the front door so they would know which house it was. A young police officer I hadn’t met before arrived at the same time as the EMTs. The name tag on his shirt said McGraw. He took a long look at Angus. For a minute, I thought McGraw might be sick. He regained his composure and pulled Nina and me aside while the EMTs calmly set to work.
When we told him our names, he wrote them down before looking at us curiously. “Why do your names sound familiar?”
Uh-oh. “We’re friends of Wolf Fleischman,” I explained.
I saw the spark of recognition in his face. “Ohhh. Yes, that’s why I’ve heard of you. Addresses, please?”
Suddenly I realized how spoiled I had become because Wolf and Wong knew me so well. They didn’t have to ask for my personal details. They knew where to find me.
“Name of the victim?”
“Angus Bogdanoff,” I said. That was more than we knew the last time we called 911 for him
.
“He lived here?”
“Yes.”
“How did you know the victim?”
“We didn’t know him well. We helped him a couple of days ago when he was stung by bees.”
“How was it that you found him? He doesn’t look like he could answer the door.”
I sucked in a breath.
Nina held up the bag of cupcake boxes. “We brought him a treat. We knocked on the door. When he didn’t respond, we got worried about him, opened the door, and found him sprawled on the floor.” Nina responded so smoothly that it frightened me a bit. It wasn’t a lie, of course, but we really had no cause to go inside the house.
“And then?”
“And then Sophie called 911,” she said.
One of the EMTs walked up and very quietly said, “I’m calling the medical examiner.”
The cop blanched.
When the EMT moved away, I said, “Call Wolf. This is his case.”
“That’s not protocol.” McGraw stared at me for a moment. “Why do you think this is Wolf’s case when it hasn’t been assigned yet?”
“Because I’m pretty sure it’s directly related to the death of Hollis Haberman, which is Wolf’s case.”
His eyes grew large. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to follow protocol, but that’s good to know.”
“Can we go now?” I asked.
“Maybe you better hang around a little longer.”
McGraw walked away and phoned someone out of our earshot.
“I don’t see any ropes,” whispered Nina.
It was a small house. “Unless the killer took it upstairs or left it out on the patio, he probably took it with him.” I didn’t see anything that looked heavy and bloody lying around.
