by Krista Davis
He grabbed my arm. “You’ll prove that she did it, won’t you? I can’t do it now that I’m stuck here with a broken leg. You have to do it for me. Promise?”
I looked into his young eyes. I knew how desperately he wanted the villain in his life to be the killer of his father. “I promise you that I’ll do my best to find your dad’s murderer.”
“Gavin,” said Cindy, “did you reach Chadwick yet?”
“He hasn’t called me. I’ll be okay. I’m not a baby.”
Cindy smiled at me and closed the door to Gavin’s room behind us.
“I have a meeting at the library tomorrow night. I’m hoping his friend can come over and stay with him while I’m gone.”
“Would you like me to stay with Gavin?”
“I’d love it! But he’d claim you were a babysitter and be angry with me.”
She gestured toward the living room sofa, which was clearly being used for a bed. I didn’t see any other doors, except to a bathroom. They had moved to a one-bedroom apartment.
“Besides, I was going to give you a call. We’re planning the fall fund-raiser, and we just don’t have any brilliant ideas. I was hoping you might come to the meeting to help us brainstorm.”
“The meeting is tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow night. I’m afraid it’s quite late. Not until nine fifteen because the library closes at nine. We’re a busy group of people, and it’s so hard to find a good time to meet. We have learned through trial and error that meeting while the library is open is pure chaos.”
“I’d love to come. How are you doing, Cindy?”
“I’m worn-out. Wolf has been by to interview me twice. Of course, that only agitates Gavin. I understand I’m the prime suspect now, even though I didn’t do it.”
“Do you have an alibi for that night?”
“Are you kidding me? You think I murdered Hollis, too?”
In a conciliatory tone, I tried to make amends. “Cindy, that’s not what I said. You were here all night, waiting for Gavin to come home, right?”
She averted her gaze and looked toward the floor. “No one was here with me to corroborate that. I can’t prove it!”
I was thinking of the way she had pretended not to know that Hollis was in the hospital. I played dumb. “Did Kelsey call you to tell you what happened to Hollis?”
Cindy sank onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands. Her voice was muffled when she said, “It’s all going to come out eventually, isn’t it? No matter how hard I try, someone will ferret out the truth. I was trying to protect Gavin.”
I sat down next to her, worried about Gavin. “What are you talking about?”
She faced me, her normally placid expression distorted into one of grief. “I told you Gavin sneaked out that night. I assumed he was with his friend. But early in the morning, around five o’clock, I think, a neighbor called and said an ambulance was at my old house and she thought they were loading Hollis into it.” She winced when she said, “I was scared to death that Gavin had done something terrible. I went straight to Hollis’s house. No one was home, so I let myself in with my old key. I could smell the lingering fumes. I found the four foggers in the master bedroom. I . . . I thought Gavin had set them off. So I took them and hid them in the library, where no one would find them. Then I went to the hospital. Everyone there was talking about Hollis and his bizarre symptoms. I was so afraid that Gavin had tried to kill his dad.” She winced. “I can’t believe I’m saying that about my own child. He’s not like that. You know what a sweet person he is. He was just so disturbed that night at the underground dinner. Seeing Kelsey there with his dad upset him. No, it angered him. And that’s partly my fault. I shouldn’t have taken him to the dinner to begin with. And I could have been more nurturing of a relationship with Hollis. Instead, I festered in my own misery, blaming everything on Kelsey, and that impacted poor Gavin. It was wrong of me to take glee in bashing Kelsey in front of him.” She rubbed her eyes. “Seriously, Sophie, no one ever goes through the items on that shelf in the library. They could have been hidden there for a decade without anyone knowing.”
“Is that what you told Wolf?”
“No. I’d sooner go to prison for a murder I didn’t commit than have Gavin stand trial for murder.”
I figured most moms would feel that way. “You’re a good mother, Cindy. But you probably ought to come clean and explain this to Wolf. He’s really a very perceptive and understanding guy.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Her eyes met mine and she whispered, “But what if Gavin did it?”
“You said the truth would eventually come out. I suppose he could have waited until Kelsey left, then set off . . . No! If Gavin had set off the bombs, he wouldn’t have been able to follow Kelsey to Angus’s house. He could have returned and set them off.” I peered at her. “Would Gavin even know what a fogger was? Seems like a fourteen-year-old who was angry would have hit Hollis over the head with something heavy. Gavin isn’t strong enough to have overpowered Hollis. And to be frank, I think Gavin might have broken down and cried if he got that close to Hollis.”
“You have more faith in my child than I do! But you’re probably right. I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
I wondered if I was sitting with a killer. One who was making a fuss about her son to distract me from her own involvement. “Let me get this straight. You were out running in the dark?”
She gave me a quizzical look. “No, it was dawn when I went over to Hollis’s house.”
I searched her expression. Was she lying? “What if I told you that someone saw you?”
Cindy’s eyes opened wide. “Then I would be highly suspicious of that person because it’s not true. Not at all. I did not set off those foggers.”
I tested her ability to lie with a straight face. I didn’t know quite how to ask, so I just blurted it out. “Cindy, is Gavin’s biological father actually Parker?”
Chapter 30
Dear Sophie,
My wife follows some dame named Natasha who told me I have to eat barbecue with a fork and knife if I’m in public. I think she’s got a screw loose. Who does that?
Messy Guy in Seven Devils, North Carolina
Dear Messy Guy,
You may indeed use your hands to eat sandwiches and ribs in informal public restaurants. However, in a formal setting, one uses a fork and knife, even if the host was inconsiderate enough to serve sandwiches or large sloppy ribs.
Sophie
Cindy’s eyes went wide, and she turned to look at Gavin’s closed door. “Why on earth would you think that?” she whispered.
“His blood type. Hollis was type O.”
“Please don’t say anything. Gavin doesn’t know.” She shook her head. “I never imagined that this would crop up. Never!” She turned into an itching and scratching mess and blathered. “What do I do now? Is this common knowledge? I’ll have to tell him before someone else does. Gavin will hate me. Hollis wanted to tell him when he was little so it wouldn’t be a big shock later on.”
I sat and watched her.
“Trula!” she said. “I forgot about her. She never knew. At least I don’t think Parker ever confessed to her.”
“You had an affair?”
“It sounds so awful when you put it that way. Hollis couldn’t have children, so when I became pregnant, the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. We almost divorced then. We were living in a small apartment. Nicer than this, now that I think about it. Hollis moved out. But Parker didn’t want to leave Trula and marry me so Gavin would have a family. The truth was that he didn’t want to leave Trula’s money. It was a nightmare. Eventually, Hollis came around and accepted Gavin as his own. For all his faults, he was a very good dad and loved Gavin dearly.”
“You broke off your relationship with Parker?”
She stopped talking and chewed on her upper lip. “Mostly. Hollis and I had our arguments over the years.”
I got her meaning. She and Parker were still in touch, if n
ot consistently. I thanked her and left her to figure out how to handle telling Gavin the truth.
As I walked home, I mentally ticked off people whom I thought did not kill Hollis. Kelsey was at the top of my list. She had married into a tangled mess. I felt confident that Gavin hadn’t killed Hollis, either. The timing didn’t work well if he followed Kelsey that night. Jay had been so calm and reasonable about his beef with Hollis that I didn’t think he had done it, either. Plus, I couldn’t help thinking about the method of death. Someone must have known about the bees and the foggers that Kelsey bought.
Parker and Trula had moved into top position as suspects in my mind. But one thing bothered me—why had Madison lied about seeing Cindy out running that night? Or why had Cindy lied about not being out and about?
I could call Madison and see if she would meet me for a cup of coffee. It was getting to be mid-afternoon. Maybe she would prefer an early cocktail. I was digging for my phone in my purse when I looked over and saw her across the street. “Madison!” I waved at her.
She met me at the corner.
“Could I interest you in a cup of coffee?”
“Sure. I could use a little pick-me-up.”
We entered a nearby coffee shop and selected a table in the back. When we had lattes in front of us, I said, “I wanted to ask you a few questions about Cindy, Parker, and Trula. You know them so well.”
“Do you think one of them murdered Hollis?”
“I don’t know. But I can’t tell if Cindy is lying to me, and I certainly can’t ask Trula about Parker!”
“So what do you want to know?” She sipped her latte.
“How were things in the beginning? Was everyone agreeable? Were they always friends? Or were there problems?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. “In the beginning, everyone got along fine. Trula was always the busy socialite, telling everyone about their grand heritage and Old Town ancestors. I was busy with the kids, and Cindy was busy working and taking care of Gavin. The guys hammered out the division of work. I think it was set up so that office bills, rent, assistants, and such got paid off the top and then they prorated the payment the guys got so that if one brought in more money, then he made more money. We knew that Hollis and Cindy weren’t always happy, and then one day, Cindy was out of the scene entirely when they divorced. I do know for a fact from Gage that Hollis bought out her share of the house. So Cindy may be living in a little one-bedroom apartment, but she’s sitting on a pile of dough. I feel terrible for her every time I see her, but it’s her choice.”
“So the rumors that Hollis got everything in the divorce are wrong?”
“I imagine he wound up with a considerable amount, but I think Cindy has been milking it a little bit, pretending to be broke when she’s not.”
“How about Parker and Trula?”
“They’re the kind of couple where each is happy to do his own thing. Trula has a lot of interests and Parker is busy with work, and that arrangement seems to suit them.”
“Trula was worried about Kelsey, and I couldn’t help noticing Parker gravitating toward her.”
“Really? I have always thought that Parker was one of those sort of nerdy guys. The kind who didn’t have a date for the prom. And that he felt a need to make up for it as an adult. He definitely likes women.”
“Did he ever proposition you?”
Madison stared at me in silence. “How could you possibly have guessed that? It was a long time ago. I told Gage, who must have had a word with Parker, because he never tried again. In fact, now that I think about it, he pretty much left me alone after that. He was very sweet when Gage died, though—coming around and taking care of insurance and that sort of thing.”
“Do you think Parker could have been after Kelsey? Maybe he propositioned her, but Hollis wasn’t as kind about it as Gage?”
Madison’s eyes widened. “What about the foggers in the library? I thought the police were on to Cindy.”
“Maybe Trula put them there. Or Parker placed them in the room when Trula was doing research.”
Madison gasped. “To point a finger of guilt at Trula! I never thought of that.”
I got a little bit daring. “Or what if Parker was having an affair with Cindy?”
Madison thought for a moment. “She’s very beautiful. Maybe that’s why they divorced. Oh my word! Maybe Kelsey wasn’t the one who broke up their marriage!”
“Did you know Angus Bogdanoff?” I asked.
“I never even heard of him until he was murdered. All I know is what I read in the newspapers.”
“So he didn’t work for the law firm?”
“I don’t think so. Wasn’t he a handyman? Sophie, I’m getting the feeling that you think Kelsey didn’t kill Hollis.”
“Everything seems to be leading back to the law firm. I just haven’t managed to uncover the right link. Sort of like you were with Gage’s death. At least we know for sure that Hollis’s death wasn’t accidental.”
“I know that Gage’s death wasn’t an accident. Keep me posted, okay?”
I promised I would. We left the coffee shop.
Madison headed for the grocery store.
I checked my watch. Would Trula be at the library? I veered in that direction. Parker was the one I really ought to talk to. But if he had murdered Hollis and Gage, that was best done in the company of more people or in a very public setting.
I trotted up the stairs and entered the library. Sure enough, Trula was in the rare documents room with Jay. I would have to try to be chatty.
“Hi! Are you two making progress on your research?” I asked.
Trula appeared annoyed. “Jay is. Did he tell you about that fabulous woman who helped the war effort?”
“He did.”
“Can you imagine being that brave? If, heaven forbid, Parker had been killed, I don’t think I’d have had the fortitude to entertain spies. I would have cowered in my home without him.”
“I was over checking on Gavin a while ago. He’s a little grumpy about having to slow down and stay in bed. But Cindy’s taking good care of him. I’ve heard so much lately about how close all of you were at the law firm.”
“It was a very congenial group. Of course, that’s why everyone is taking Hollis’s death so hard.”
“How is Parker holding up?”
“Hollis’s death came as a huge shock to both of us. It took Parker a couple of days to recuperate. We’re still not back to normal, though. We won’t be until they arrest Cindy and we have a resolution. It won’t bring back Hollis, but we need to be able to close the door on it. Right now it’s hanging over everyone’s heads.”
I fibbed a little. “There’s not much tying her to the murder.”
“She hid those foggers!”
“She did. If only someone had seen her at the Habermans’ house. I took Daisy for a walk after the dinner that night, but I didn’t see her. Did you and Parker take a stroll?”
“We went straight home and didn’t hear anything about it until the next day.”
Jay began to observe me with an odd expression. I worried that I was being too obvious. “Pity. And now poor Angus. Did either of you know him?”
Jay’s gaze shifted to Trula.
“I’d never heard of him before. Surely you don’t think there’s some connection?” She gasped. “Do you think Angus murdered Hollis?”
“It’s a possibility,” I said. “He knew about the bee problem.”
“Everyone knew about that.”
“I’ve never used foggers, have you? I wonder how they work?”
I heard a little intake of breath from Trula. “I haven’t used them, either. I can’t imagine having the kind of bug infestation that would require such dramatic measures. Kelsey must be a terrible housekeeper.”
Well, rats! I wasn’t getting anywhere with her. I left the library and headed home. As I passed Jay’s house, I saw another casserole on his doorstep. It wasn’t really any of my business, but it would spoil
if it sat out in the sun.
I had just seen him at the library, so I knew he wasn’t home. I walked up to the front door and realized once again that he kept his front drapes closed. I picked up the casserole just as Natasha drove by.
She whipped her car into an empty spot, parked, and ran up to me. “Now look, Sophie. I know that you’re lonely. I fully appreciate that. But you have to stop pursuing the men I’m interested in. We’ve been friends for a long time. I cannot believe that you brought Jay a casserole.”
“You will be pleased to know that I am not interested in Jay romantically. Nor did I bake this casserole. I just saw him at the library so I know he’s not home.”
“You’re certain about that?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe he walks faster than me and beat me here, but I doubt it.”
Like a snake, her thin hand whipped out and tried the door handle.
“What are you doing?”
“Has he ever let you see the inside of his house?”
“No.” I didn’t mention that he tried to shake us the night the lights were out. That had been strange.
“I’m dying to get inside.”
“Natasha, leave the poor man alone.” I walked away.
“Where are you going?” she called.
“To wedge this into Kelsey’s fridge. It was probably meant for her.”
Natasha tried the door handle again. I wondered what had happened to her big push for being queen of etiquette. I was pretty sure that breaking into locked houses was a breach of the worse sort.
I pulled Kelsey’s key out of my purse and unlocked the door. The Habermans’ house was eerily silent. I locked the front door behind me and headed for the kitchen. It took a little doing, but I managed to shove the casserole into the vegetable crisper. I stood back and stared at the contents of the refrigerator. What a shame that all that food would go to waste.
I filled a galvanized watering can and walked out to the back porch. I paused to check out the bee situation. The guy they had called must have done a good job. There wasn’t a single bee buzzing around.
