"That was good of you," Mel admitted.
"Not really. If the business had gone belly-up my husband would have lost his job. Anyway, he wrote a will in which it said that if he died before I did, he wanted his third of the business profits to go to me for all time. And he did die. Running off to meet his bimbo on an icy night."
"You never told me that part," Mel said. "You just said it was a car accident."
"I don't tell many people. Only my kids and Shelley know. And the kids don't know why he was out that night and never will. So the upshot of this long story is that the family pharmacy has spread like a veritable plague. There are Jeffry pharmacies all over the Chicago area, and they're opening two in St. Louis this month and one in Indianapolis. I still get my third share of the profits. And they're substantial. In short, I can afford to build out a new room where you can have lots of space, lots of light,and all your stuff. And if you don't want to use it, I'll do it anyway as a storeroom. By the way, my first book about Priscilla comes to the bookstores in a week or two and I also make a nice little wad of money when it does. I could store my author's copies of my book in that room if you really don't want it," she said with a sly smile.
"Then I'm going to take you up on this. Without feel‑
ing like a kept man."
"Too bad. I intend to keep you at least until we're both using walkers and hauling around oxygen canisters on rollers to go to cheap buffet dinners."
Mel laughed out loud. "It's a deal, Janey."
Chapter
FIVE
T
he architect Uncle Jim had recommended was quick to contact Jane early the next morning. "Jim and I are old friends. We shared a dorm room back in college. He told me you needed advice on adding a room for your soon-to-be husband. He thinks the world of the man you're marrying. So I'd like to meet with both you and Detective VanDyne as soon as possible. By the way, I'm Jackson Edgeworth." He gave her his office number.
"Anytime is good for me except this morning," Jane said. "A friend and I are attending a class Mel recommended. I'll call him and ask if later today suits him, if that's convenient for you," Jane said, thinking how timely his call was.
She phoned Mel, saying, "The architect my uncleJim suggested wants to know if you could be free this afternoon?"
"I'm due some time off. I could just take today off if you want."
"I'll call him back right now and tell him to pick the time and let you know."
When she reached Mr. Edgeworth, she said, "Mel and I are both free anytime today in the afternoon if you wish to choose a time."
"How about one in the afternoon? I have an appointment this morning."
"May I confide in you?" Jane asked.
"I suppose so."
"Whatever amount of space Detective VanDyne suggests, increase it by half. He's worrying that it will be too expensive. And I'm not."
The man chuckled. "Half again as big is nowhere near half again the price. I'll make that clear. Give me your address and I'll get my secretary to check the city codes and setback allowances and all that bothersome stuff before I come over."
Jane reported back to Mel and he agreed to the time. She didn't mention her concerns about the size, but did pass on that Mr. Edgeworth would know all the township rules before he arrived.
The class in Women's Safety was about traveling around. "If you get off the El at the wrong station, and find your‑
self in a frightening part of town, go to the nearest shop, a deli or such. Be very pleasant to the clerk. They're more likely to be helpful. Find out when the next train comes. Most places carry schedules. Buy something. A bottled drink and a pack of chips, and if you prefer to ask them to call a taxi for you, wait inside at a window for it, not on the street, exposing yourself to criminals."
Miss Welbourne paused for this to sink in and then added, "Make sure you look confident. Don't fret or look as if you're scared. Don't stand around reading a map or a magazine. Keep your eyes out for anyone watching you. If you've called a taxi, walk briskly out of the shop and get in it fast. Same thing if you go back to the El station. Stand on the platform looking brisk and confident. Not worried. Keep your back to a wall so nobody can come up behind you.
"Malls, too, can be dangerous. Especially dress shops," she went on. "If you want to try something on, don't hang your handbag on the hook on the door. Place your bag under a chair as far from the door as you can and throw your own clothing over it to conceal the bag.
"If you're going to a movie or the theater, don't sit at the end of a row. You're more vulnerable there. If you can help it don't sit near anyone who looks suspicious. Keep your handbag on your lap with your hands crossed over it. Don't put it under your seat at all costs. Someone behind you could just hook a foot under the chair and take it."
Most of the class was making notes and Miss Welbourne waited patiently for them to catch up.
Then she went on. "If you go to a bar or restaurant try to get a booth. If it isn't possible, sit where you aren't in a chair that many people have to walk by. Don't sit near an aisle that leads to the bathrooms. There will be a lot of people walking past you. Keep your handbag on your knees and cross your legs while you study the menu and eat. While you're waiting for your food to come, keep your bag in your lap with your hands crossed over it. Don't read a book or magazine while you are waiting for your drink or food. Keep an eye out for anyone who is staring at you and don't make eye contact once you realize it.
"There is another reason you want a booth if you can get one. That's so if you're young and pretty, you should put your drink as far away from people walking by as you possibly can. This date rape drug is getting to be a serious problem and it's so easy for a man to just pass his hand over a glass as he walks by."
"Speaking of young and pretty, where is that cute little Sara girl? She's not here this time," one of the women asked.
Miss Welbourne sighed. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but I feel now that I must. The police alerted me this morning that her boyfriend beat her to death last night."
Everyone exclaimed "Poor girl" or "What a tragedy" or simply, "Oh no."
Miss Welbourne looked as if she'd caved in on herself. "I'm sorry to cut this class short, but I don't believe we can go on more today. At least, I can't. Go home."
She left the room ahead of them, her briefcase in one
hand, and her handbag properly crossing her chest and in front of her.
"That's terrible news," Shelley said on the way home. "She was so young."
"Young or old, it's tragic. It's probably the reason she was taking the class."
"And maybe he found out she was doing so," Shelley commented.
It wasn't until Jane had closed her kitchen door and set her purse on the kitchen table, that it occurred to her that Mel might be in charge of this murder case. And wouldn't get the day off tomorrow after all.
She tried to get him at his office. His secretary told her he was just finishing up in a meeting. He'd call back in ten minutes.
When he did, she told him what Miss Welbourne had said about Sara. "You're not on this case, are you?"
"No. It was inner city. Your uncle Jim has it. Nice case just before he retires."
"Nice?" Jane almost yelped.
"Well, not nice. But good for him. He's virtually solved it. Her blood is all over the boyfriend. All over the lamp he hit her in the head with and on the lamp cord he strangled her with."
Jane sat down at the kitchen chair, stretching the phone cord as far as she could. This conversation made her woozy.
"I just meant that your uncle Jim will get the credit, and a lot of publicity to retire on. Leaving after all the photo flashbulbs as he announces that it's official that the case is solved."
Jane got a grip on herself. "So you'll be here when the architect meets with us?"
"Of course. Not my case. I'm free all day. I'm sorry Miss Welbourne told the class."
"She was asked why the girl wasn't at the
meeting this afternoon. She was so upset to say it that she dismissed the class early."
"Speaking of the class, are you learning useful information?"
"Oh yes. She's told us lots of things we should have had the common sense to have realized and hadn't. There are just two more classes. Shelley and I are going to be much more careful of ourselves from now on. I'm glad you forced us to do this."
"I didn't force you. Just suggested."
"Hmmm," was all Jane could say, except for adding, "I'll see you at one then."
Jane was surprised at Edgeworth's appearance. He'd sounded younger than he was. Well, of course. He went to school with her uncle Jim. He was wearing a lightweight tartan jacket, a red shirt, black trousers, and had a full head of thick curly white hair. "Hello, Ms. Jeffry. Your uncle thinks the world of you."
"He's not really my uncle. He's my parents' longtime best friend. And please call me Jane."
"Call me Jack, then. And Detective VanDyne, may I call you by your first name?"
"Sure. I'm Mel."
Jack put his briefcase down and pulled out a fresh legal pad and a yellow pencil. "Let's start with the dining room. That's where we'll cut through. I've checked the code and regulations. You are able to extend the back of the house twenty-two feet."
Jane led him to the dining room. He looked around. "Nice room. Could that china hutch go on the end of the room or next to the window on the other side?"
"Sure. I can't move it myself. But if I empty it out and have help, we could put sliders under it."
"Good. Now let me check the studs."
He used a gadget that he moved across the room at the same height. A little red light showed up from time to time and the device made a feeble little beep. "Just what I'd expected. The right intervals."
He laughed. "In the old days, I'd have tapped it with my knuckles and known from the sound where the studs were, but my son insists that I use this gadget. Do either of you care which end of the room you want the entrance door?"
Jane and Mel looked at each other and shrugged. "I never thought about it. In the middle?"
Jack shook his head. "That would break the look of this wall. I'd suggest the far wall. But still move that furniture so Mel doesn't have to walk around it. Now show me the basement."
"The basement?"
"I need to know how far it extends and if so, if it's sturdy enough to hold up the weight of an addition. That's a serious matter of code regulations."
Thank God I just cleaned out the kitty litter boxes this morning, Jane thought to herself as she led him to the door of the basement.
Jack took lots of measurements and kept jotting down notes. Finally he said, "I'll have to measure upstairs from this door to be sure, but I don't think the basement will be relevant. It doesn't go as far as the dining room is my gut feeling. But let's go back upstairs."
He was well in front of them and went up the stairs faster than Jane had ever done.
After he measured, he said, "I'll take this back to my office and my son will put it on AutoCad."
"What's that?"
"A hideously expensive computer program that takes months to learn and is necessary to any architectural company. My son knows how to do this. Oh, and one more thing, where do the phone lines run in? I have to go outside and look. Mel, I assume you need a fast phone line for your computer and fax, and a separate line for telephone calls."
"I do."
"Where's the door to the backyard?"
Chapter
SIX
T
he third Women's Safety meeting was earlier than the ones before — at ten in the morning — and was about foreign travel. It was shorter than the others. Miss Welbourne went through the rules of how to behave, dress, and protect yourself, especially if you were traveling to a Muslim country. "Wear no jewelry. Don't even take it along, except for a cheap watch. Wear long sleeves, long skirts, and wear at least a scarf on your head.
"Don't meet the eyes of men. It's considered loose and trashy and you'll be taken for a prostitute. Eat daintily. Women aren't considered real people in the Muslim culture. Very few women are educated. Don't get roped into conversations about American values or anything political.
"You should really try to travel with another woman or if you're married, with your husband. You will be a lot safer. If you're with a tour group, obey everything the leader tells you. It's unwise to rent a car and go off on your own. If you get lost, you could put yourself in great danger.
"Try to learn a little of the language in advance. `Please,' `Thank you,' `Excuse me.' And how to order food. Don't order any kind of spirits. If you take some along in your suitcase, drink only in the privacy of your room and be very careful not to leave any empty bottles in your room. Keep a set of paper bags and throw the empties away without being noticed."
Jane and Shelley tuned out. They had absolutely no plans to go to such hostile, dangerous countries. Miss Welbourne had a whole lot more advice. All of it was scary. Jane and Shelley were tempted to try to sneak out, but they'd be bound to be seen and didn't want to insult the teacher.
Jane occupied herself by thinking about the extra room she was adding for Mel's home office. It would raise her property taxes and probably her insurance rates as well. But there was no going back. Mel couldn't have worked in the sewing room, which was just big enough for one single bed and one small side table with barely room for a lamp, and had only one pitiful little window.
She hadn't even told Shelley about this. Shelley had been out and about shopping while Jack was there. She couldn't wait to tell her about it.
When the class was over, they went to their favorite
restaurant; they were early enough to get a booth where nobody could hear them talking.
Jane told Shelley about the house extension and Shelley said, "That's going to be a huge, expensive, messy project."
"But worth it, Shelley. Mel has a whole extra bedroom in his apartment with copies of his files, a computer, printer, two phone lines. He can't fit that in that extra room upstairs. He's going to move into my house and he deserves to be accommodated with all he needs."
"I see that. But won't it cost the earth?"
"So what? My pharmacy money is increasing every year as it expands."
"Speaking of the business, have you told Thelma that you're getting married?"
"Yes, and she chewed me out."
"How dare she!"
"Because she's old and nasty. She resents me for getting Steve's share of the profits forever, which will be passed on to my children when I'm gone. That's what is in his will."
Shelley asked, "Have you ever had their bookkeeping audited?"
Jane stared at her best friend. "No, I haven't. But I probably should. It would be like her to cheat me."
Jane thought for a minute or two and said, "But Steve's brother Ted is in charge of the finances. I don't think Ted would allow it. If she tried to fudge, he'd stop her because it might get him in legal trouble."
Shelley nodded approval. "Back to your extra room, how far along is this plan?"
"Uncle Jim added a room to his house and recommended an architect. A guy we're supposed to call Jack. He's already working on it. In fact, he insisted on visiting Mel's apartment to measure how much space he has there, so he could give him just as much at my house. He's an interesting old guy. Measured like mad. Went out in the backyard to see where the phone lines come in, checked out that there isn't any basement under where the new room will be."
"Meantime, you want to shop?"
"For what?"
"The bride outfit for Mel's mother Addie's wedding."
"Why not? I've thought about this a little. Mel wants me to wear that emerald suit that he likes so much in the real wedding before the showy one that Addie is trying to take over."
"What do you want? Ivory instead of white?"
"No. It's too close to white and would look merely dingy with the groom and best man in tuxes. I'm sure Addie is going
to insist on this."
"Okay, let's go shopping again."
"We're starting at a place that supplies tuxes."
"Why?"
"Because I want to know if they have tuxes in a charcoal gray."
"You want to look like the groom and his best man?" "No, I want to wear a brilliant red blouse and a classy
matching red hat, and Mel and whoever he chooses to stand up for him can wear ties and cummerbunds to match my hat and blouse. We've already struck out on pink and taupe."
"You're not old enough to wear a red hat," Shelley said firmly.
"Why not?"
"Because you're not fifty years old yet."
"Who made that rule?" Jane asked. "You?"
"The Red Hats Society. I think that's what they're called."
Jane sniffed and said, "You made that up. Admit it."
"No, I didn't. You can look it up on the Internet. The head of it is in her eighties I've been told. The local chapters `Lunch," Shelley said, with verbal quotes around it. "Then there are big conventions that any member in good standing can attend."
"Beware! I'm going to look this group up on the Internet." "Go ahead. By the way, is this color thing one of the rules you set up for Mel's mother?"
"Not really. But I did say she can't choose flocks of bridesmaids and groomsmen. By the time she realizes this, if we find what I want and make a down payment on the men's tuxes, it will be a fait accompli."
Jane called around and found a tux rental place that had the charcoal-colored tuxes and got a fabric sample. "I can't shop for the dress today, Shelley. I need to let Willard out in the yard. He hasn't been out since seven this morning."
The Accidental Florist jj-16 Page 3
