by Jane Tesh
She refused to answer.
“Well, you didn’t need the box anymore. You’d already used it to lure Taft back to the club. You had his drink ready for him. A drink to celebrate. All you needed was a little piece of one of his sleeping pills and one of your Sneeze Ease, pills that look alike, so if anyone saw you with Taft’s, you could say it was yours. A Screwdriver has enough orange juice to mask the taste of the pills, at least long enough for Taft to have a good drink. Before he passed out completely, you asked him to show you his latest trick. Once he got inside the trunk, you shut the lid and locked the trunk. Then you hung the key back in its place behind the bar where it was supposed to be. You moved Taft’s car so no one would think he was at the club, got rid of his cell phone, and went home.”
She glared at me but didn’t say anything.
“Why would you do something so horrible?” Rahnee asked, her voice uneven.
“I think I know,” I said. “I think Jilly feels her father betrayed her and her love of magic. She was searching for someone to fill that void, to take her on as a partner, an equal magician. Taft started out as a good father figure, but he betrayed her, too—at least in her mind.” I turned to Jilly. “I’d like to see those keys you wear around your neck. I’ll bet one opens the cabinet.”
Glowering, she handed me her necklace. Lucas took the smaller of the two keys, placed it in the lock on the cabinet, and turned the key. The cabinet door opened.
WizBoy stared at her. “You opened the box?”
She turned on him. “Yes, I opened the box! None of you thought I could do any sort of magic, but not only did I find it, I figured out how it worked! No one was going to know how I did it, no one. It was going to be the best trick ever!”
“Yeah, well, congratulations,” I said.
She fixed her angry gaze on the rest of the group. “None of you ever took me seriously as a magician. No one even gave me a chance, not even to assist! I could do that as well as any of those bimbos you picked!”
“So you murdered Taft and tried to kill Rahnee all because you wanted to be sawed in half?”
Her voice shook. “Taft didn’t care about anyone except Rahnee. And then he started seeing that woman at Ali’s Cavern! He was going to put her in his act, I know he was!”
“The day WizBoy let you in the club you took one of the bones off his key ring. Why blackmail him?”
She looked scornful. “I knew Rahnee would blame him and then he’d get fired. He’s never going to amount to anything. I could’ve managed that club as well as anyone!”
The look on WizBoy face told me that romance was over.
“You won’t be managing anything,” Rahnee said. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I’m curious,” I said. “What did you do with Taft’s phone?”
“Smashed it. I should’ve smashed that one, too. I never thought he’d send that message to Lucas.”
“Here’s the best part of my act,” I said. “He didn’t.”
***
Even though Camden couldn’t sing in the choir, he and Kary and I went to church Sunday morning. If I was serious about getting Kary to marry me, I knew I’d have to get used to going to church. Like Camden and driving, I can do it, I just choose not to. But I like having the chance to sit beside her and fantasize during the boring parts.
Jordan had called earlier that morning to let me know that Jilly had been formally charged with the murder of Taft Finch and the attempted murder of Rahnee Nevis. Rahnee and Lucas had called to thank me. After my magic show Saturday night, the rest of the members of WOW had stayed at Lucas’ to talk through what had happened. Jolly Bob and WizBoy had settled their differences. Bart and Fancy had been invited to join WOW and perform at the Magic Club on a regular basis.
It was my turn to cook lunch, so I bought everyone some Baxter’s Barbecue sandwiches and fries, which we took home. Fred muttered a thank you for his sandwich. Rufus and Angie were all smiles. As Camden had predicted, Angie liked the idea of an outdoor wedding. Saturday afternoon, she and Rufus visited his cousins’ farm, and the venue met with her approval. The cousins also offered to host the rehearsal dinner with a pig pickin’, which I understand is exactly what it sounds like.
“So your soiree will be al fresco,” I said.
“It can be whatever damn language you like,” Rufus said. “It’s not gonna cost us anything. Kary, you and that magician fella want to do a show at the reception? That’d be fun, and my cousins and their kids would get a kick out of it.”
“Sure, I’ll ask him. Or don’t you need me to play for the wedding?”
“Well, since the wedding’s gonna be outside, I’m getting’ the Frog Hollow Boys and Evelene to play. That gal can play the tar out of anything.”
Rufus and his pals had what I called a Hillbilly Band, and Evelene played a mean hammered dulcimer. I avoided eye contact with Camden. At Christmas, we’d experienced the speed version of “Messiah.” I knew he was imagining how the wedding march would sound. Rufus and Angie would be married in five minutes.
Rufus reached for another sandwich. “Cam, your voice is bound to be back to normal in time for the wedding. We want you to sing somethin’ nice, like ‘Stand By Your Man.’”
Angie gave Rufus’ arm a smack. “That’s a woman’s song.”
“Yeah, but I like the sentiment.”
“Cam, I like that old song, what’s it called? ‘Perfect Love’?”
“‘O, Perfect Love.’ Yes, I know that one.”
“And maybe ‘You Light Up My Life.’”
“Sure.”
Rufus chewed and swallowed. “Ain’t there a song called ‘When You Say Nothing At All’? I like the sound of that.”
Angie gave him another smack. “Behave yourself.”
We were about halfway through lunch when Ellin stopped in. She accepted a sandwich and a glass of tea. “For those of you who haven’t heard the good news, Shelia’s stepping down as host of ‘Ready To Believe.’ She said she and Phil have decided they need to take care of Dirk, and Phil’s going to honor his commitment to the PSN.”
Camden had another question. “What about his health?”
“He still insists Sheila can tell if anything’s wrong.”
“Good grief.”
“You did what you could, Cam.” She dipped a French fry in ketchup. “So, tomorrow morning, Bonnie and Teresa will be back where they belong, and the show will go on the way I want it to with a very special guest.”
“That would be me,” Camden said.
She leaned over to give him a kiss. “Yes, thank you.”
“What about Reg?” I asked. “What about ‘New Age News’?”
She pointed a fry at me. “Never in a million years.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Could It Be Magic?
After lunch, I went into my office and sat for a while. I’d solved the big crime, but I was stumped about Sandy’s bracelet. There had to be some place I hadn’t searched. As for my desk drawer, I kept it firmly shut. I was feeling pretty good at the moment and didn’t want to risk an emotional upheaval.
Out in the island, Angie was sitting on the green sofa, sewing white lace onto an acre of white fabric. The TV was on, and Marilyn Monroe was dancing around with a bunch of men and singing, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” I always enjoy watching this number.
Angie picked up her plastic cup from the table. “You mind getting me a refill?”
I took the cup. “No problem.” I opened the freezer and found another cup sitting on top of a package of frozen peas. “You’ve already got one in the freezer.”
“Oh, yeah? I must have had it in my hand and forgot.”
“Here.” As I brought her the drink, I thought, Ice.
Diamonds.
***
First, I went to the Lutheran Ch
urch and asked the pastor if I could look in the freezers. I checked every bag of chicken. No bracelet.
“Is this all the leftover chicken?” I asked.
“I believe Mrs. Olaf took some home.”
The housekeeper had said something about helping her pack the extra food. I went back to Sandy’s. “Sandy, where did you store the leftover chicken for the homeless shelter?”
“In my freezer.”
“Let’s go see.”
Sandy’s idea of a freezer was a giant white chest freezer that took up almost one whole wall of her huge basement. I hoisted the lid, revealing a wealth of meat, including many plastic bags of chicken.
“Sandy, I think your bracelet fell off into one of these bags.”
“Really? Let’s look!”
It was in bag number twenty-five, nestled snugly and solidly against a drumstick like an incredibly expensive chicken anklet.
I wrestled the bag from the other bags and presented it to Sandy with a flourish. “Ta-dah!”
Sandy cried with joy and took the chicken upstairs to thaw. She thanked me over and over, and we sat down to share a celebratory glass of wine.
“Some lucky person would’ve had a very special chicken dinner,” I said.
“Thank goodness they didn’t! I’m generous, but this bracelet means too much to me to give away. How did you ever think of looking in the freezer?”
“Something similar happened at home—not with a diamond bracelet, however.”
“I’m so grateful! I’m not sure I can repay you enough.”
There was a clunk behind us. The chicken leg had given up its prize, and the bracelet lay on the counter, defrosted and de-drumsticked.
Sandy washed and dried the bracelet and put it on. “Good as new!” She beamed at me. “You know, there’s something different about you, David.”
“Different?”
“Oh, you’re as handsome as ever, but there’s such an air of confidence around you. You seem as if you can solve any mystery, I mean, figuring out where my bracelet was, it’s like magic!”
For the moment, I felt as if I really could solve anything, and I stood to give her a bow. “The Remarkable Randall, at your service.”
***
And maybe I could solve the problem of getting Kary to marry me. Before Kary got home, I enlisted Cindy to help me with my next proposal. Cindy did not want to help, but I finally managed to get the ribbon with “Will you marry me?” around her neck. She wasn’t a kitten, so she didn’t fit into any hat, and I didn’t have a scarf big enough to disguise her. I found a box in the downstairs closet that would have to do. Cindy yowled and complained.
“Be grateful you have a job in show business,” I told her.
By the time I met Kary at the door with the box, Cindy had changed to a low growl.
“What’s this?” Kary asked.
“Behold! Looks like an ordinary cardboard box, but presto, change-o! The magic cat appears.”
And runs like hell down the hallway. I found the ribbon in the bottom of the box, well-chewed but still legible. “Look. The mystic feline has left you a message.”
Kary took the ribbon and read it. “Well, I love Cindy, but I don’t want to marry her.”
“That message, as you well know, is from me, the Remarkable Randall.”
“And have you been remarkable today?”
“Extremely remarkable. I found Sandy’s diamond bracelet. It had fallen into a bag of chicken and was frozen to a leg.”
“I’ll bet the chicken didn’t want to give it up.”
“It was a struggle, but I managed to prevail.” Just as I will prevail and win you.
She curled the ribbon around her finger. “Speaking of magic, I talked to Omar, and he likes the idea of doing a show for Rufus and Angie’s reception. He’s not good with the idea of playing for the Baby Love meeting, though. He said he’d think about it, and if that doesn’t work out, I’m sure I’ll think of something else.”
I was relieved to hear her plans were on hold. “What about a country wedding at the cousins’ farm? The bridesmaids could wear overalls and carry ears of corn. We could ride to the service in a hay wagon and do-si-do down the aisle.”
“That sounds delightful. But no.”
“What’s your dream wedding, then?”
“You know, I haven’t given it much thought. Something simple, traditional. Something far in the future.”
“But with a tall, dark, handsome magical man like me, right?”
She stood on tiptoe to kiss my cheek. “Maybe.”
That was as good as it was going to get for now.
***
Monday I was in my office catching up on some accounts when Camden came in.
He sat down in front of my desk. “You remember Lloyd Johnson, the man with the heart condition who needed to leave a will?”
“The guy who told you to mind your own business?”
“Yes. He died yesterday, and the family wanted to talk to me. They said he changed his mind. He reconsidered what I said and had his lawyer draw up a will. The family was mad at first, but said now they see that was really the best thing because it would’ve torn them apart for nothing. They thanked me for making the effort. They said I could’ve walked away and let them fight it out, but I didn’t.”
“Good. Everything’s settled.”
“Except his daughter wanted to ask me about heaven. She kept saying, ‘You’re the real thing, aren’t you? Is my father okay? Is he in heaven?’ I couldn’t answer that.”
“Well, you can’t know everything.”
“No, I mean, I could see images, as if people were helping him cross over, helping him—I can’t explain it. I don’t know if that vision was real or just wishful thinking.”
“Either way, it’s a nice image.”
“I wanted everything to be okay.”
“Did you see flames and pitchforks?”
“Yep, and you right in the middle of it.”
Fred came wandering in. “The bank. I got to go to the bank.”
“Fred, you don’t have any money there,” Camden said. “We checked, remember?”
“I want to go.”
I was in a good mood, and Fred wasn’t going to quit. “Come on, Fred. I’ll take you.”
Fred put on his coat and got into the backseat of the Fury, mumbling under his breath. Camden turned around in the passenger seat. “What’s at the bank?”
“Strongbox. I got a key.”
Another key. “Hope it’s the right one, Fred,” I said.
At First Savings, Fred told the teller what he wanted, and she led us back to a row of boxes set in the wall.
“Here you are, sir.”
With trembling hands, Fred put the key in the lock and turned. The box opened. He reached inside and brought out a smaller box. He fumbled with the catch and finally pushed it in my hands. “Open it.”
I pried open the box and was startled by the rainbow flash of light from a gold ring. Four small emeralds surrounded by diamonds winked and sparkled. Fred’s old pale eyes filled with tears.
“It was my Cora’s.”
I didn’t know what to say. Fred had been living in Camden’s house for more years than I could remember, penniless, drab, miserable. All this time, he’d had a small fortune stashed away. He could’ve been living in a nice place, wearing decent clothes, perhaps traveling. But looking into his sad worn face, I knew he never could’ve sold this ring.
Fred took the box from me and gazed at the ring for a few moments. “Cam, you take this and give it to that girl of yours so she’ll marry you. She’s ornery, but so was my Cora, and you deserve something for taking me in.”
“Fred, no. I would’ve taken you in anyway.”
“I know it. Don’t do anyone much good sitting in a box
, though, does it?” He thrust the box into Camden’s hands. His voice was rougher than his usual croak. “Take it. Cora would want you to have it. You know that better than anyone.” Light danced on the emeralds and diamonds gracefully set in gold.
“It’s beautiful, but I can’t take it. It’s all you have of her.”
“No, it ain’t.” He tapped the side of his head. “Got her right here. Always will. Nothing can take that away.”
I thought of Lindsey. My memories of her, no matter how painful, would be something I’d always cherish.
“Think that noisy girlfriend of yours will like it?”
“Yes, she will.”
“She’d better. It cost a lot. Just take it, boy. Take it. Don’t tell her where it come from, though. She don’t like me.” The ring caught a ray of light and splashed colors on the wall. “Cora always did love emeralds, she did. Her eyes were green.” He pulled a rumpled handkerchief from his back pocket and blew his nose. “Put it away now.”
I think Camden would’ve stood there forever if I hadn’t given him a hint.
“So it’s time to pop the big question.”
He put the ring back in its box. “Yes, it is.”
***
Back at the house, Camden called Ellin and asked her to stop by the house after work.
“It would be more fun if you did it on TV,” I said.
He gave me a look. “No, it’s not an emergency,” he said into the phone. “It’s important, though.” He listened a moment and hung up, eyes wide. “She’s coming over right now.”
“Perhaps she senses something at last.”
Camden paced the island until we heard Ellin’s car drive up. Then he hurried to the door to let her in.
