Killer, Paper, Cut

by Joanna Campbell Slan

  "Amanda, I have a favor to ask. I’ll understand if the answer is no, but would it be possible for us to move in with you? Just until we can find another place to live?"

  "Of course you can, but are you sure you want to?"

  Her quick acceptance of the idea brought tears to my eyes. I felt overwhelmed with gratitude that she’d respond so favorably. I dabbed my eyes and said, "I can’t think of any other solution. Not with such a short turnaround time. We could stay on the second floor. It’s actually more room than we have now. Brawny is a wonderful cook, so you might enjoy coming home to hot meals and waking up to homemade breakfasts."

  "Sounds divine. And you’re right. The second floor is unoccupied. I suppose you could put most of your furniture in storage. Some of it would fit into the garage, I guess. But can you stand being around Mom? She’s so mean, Kiki. You wouldn’t believe the things she’s said to Catherine. Cathy said that even the Twelve Step folks found it hard to believe how nasty our mother is. That’s saying something."

  I nodded. "You’re right, but I figure that if I keep the kids on the second floor, we don’t need to interact with Mom. The only other options would mean giving up our pets for a while. We think that it would actually be harder on the kids to move without their pets than living in the same house with Mom."

  "Brawny’s pretty terrific," said Detweiler. "I have no doubt that she can hold her own against your mother. I’d never agree to this if I didn’t think Anya would have champions in the house. But with you, Catherine, and Brawny all wise to your mother’s antics, I don’t think she’ll get away with much bull."

  "We can contribute toward your monthly rent payment," I said.

  "Pooh. If you pay your share of utilities, you can consider this an early wedding gift. Do you think we need to talk this over with Clancy? She’s your friend. You know her better than I do," said Amanda.

  "I’ll call her," I said.

  We moved on to talking about other subjects, including making a trip over to Eckert’s Orchard to pick the last of the season’s apples. But I’ll admit that as we talked, I was mightily distracted. The thought of packing terrified me. I remembered how hard it had been when I first moved out of the big house in Ladue. Amanda noticed the panicky look on my face.

  "You worried about packing up? I can understand that. Here’s the plan," she said. "If we have enough people, we can pack you up in one day, two at most. Catherine and I can come over Friday night and get started. We can finish up on Saturday. Can you get people to cover the store? I suggest that you get Anya out of the house. Have her stay at her friend’s place. Brawny can take care of Erik, right?"

  "Do you really think we can get this done in a day and a half?" I asked.

  "Nothing to it but to do it," she said, as she hugged me.

  Chapter 35

  On the way back to the house, I called Clancy. When I told her what Leighton had decided, she went ballistic. "How dare he? I have a good mind to come over and pin his ears to his head!"

  "Whoa," I said. "Before you do that, I need your help."

  I explained our limited options and asked, "Is it all right with you if we move into the second floor at your mother’s house? You need to be honest with me, Clancy. If you have a problem about us bringing in a dog and two cats, I need to know."

  "As far as I’m concerned, you can burn the place down," she said. "I’ve never liked that house. I’ve seen what kind of housekeeper you are. Although I couldn’t live with you, you’ll keep the place clean enough. Besides, this gives me a good reason to come over and get you organized."

  We both chuckled at that. During every visit to my house, she managed to cull through my belongings, organize them, label things, and generally tidy up the place. She can’t help it. She’s borderline OCD. We’ve come to an understanding. Anytime she feels the need to clean or pick up while she’s visiting, she can have at. I’ll get out of her way.

  "Thanks a million," I said.

  "Thanks from me, too," said Detweiler, loudly enough that she could hear.

  From there, our conversation shifted to the logistics of the move. Clancy picked up the ball and ran with it, saying, "Why don’t I call Rebekkah and see if she and Margit could run the store this weekend. That way I could help you and your sisters pack? If you let me in there, you’ll know exactly where everything is. Besides, you shouldn’t be lifting anything, Kiki. Let the three of us do the hauling, wrapping, and packing."

  I started to protest, but Detweiler reached over and covered my mouth with his hand. "Clancy?" he said. "You know I’ve always thought you were pretty terrific. Now I’m revising my assessment upwards."

  I thanked my friend again and ended the phone call. There was only one hurdle left to climb. We had to tell Anya. When I’d first learned I was pregnant, Anya had been spending the night at her friend Nicci Moore’s house. Nicci’s mother, Jennifer, had broken the news about my pregnancy to Anya for me. I’ll never know exactly what Jennifer had said or how she’d put it, but she’d managed to convince my daughter that being a big sister was the coolest job on earth. Now I wondered, how could I structure our announcement so that Anya felt strong and capable of handling this change?

  "What am I going to tell her?" I asked Detweiler. He knew exactly which her I meant.

  "I don’t know. I guess we start by explaining this wasn’t our idea."

  "Throw Leighton under the bus?"

  "He deserves it, but no," said Detweiler. "I really don’t want Anya to have trust issues."

  "I have trust issues."

  "Right, see?"

  We laughed.

  "I guess if you start it, and you tell her that Leighton came to you with a problem, and that he’s really, really sorry…"

  "No, I won’t do that. He didn’t say that he was really, really sorry, Kiki. In fact, he’s sort of decided that his wayward daughter comes first and that he doesn’t owe you anything. I’m not going to lie for the man. Or sugarcoat what he’s done. I’ll tell her honestly that I’m disappointed in him. That sometimes even people we like and trust let us down."

  "That’s true. And then I’ll tell her that our long range plan is to buy a house. That we’ll go together as a family to choose one."

  "Right, and that as much as we regret leaving this place, we’re looking forward to finding someplace just as perfect for our growing family," he said.

  "But for a short while, we’ll have to lump it, because we have pets. We don’t have many options."

  "Blame it on the critters, huh?" said Detweiler, giving me a sideways glance.

  "No, but it’s true. When she sees that this is really a choice between giving up the animals or living…"

  "In the same house as your mother…"

  "She’ll see that we’re making the right decision," I said, and then I stopped. "Or not."

  "Babe, we’re doing the best we can. She might throw an absolute wobbly, as Brawny says, but at the end of the day we’re her parents. She’ll have to move with us and make the best of a bad situation."

  "Uh-huh," I said. But I had a sinking feeling that "wobbly" wouldn’t begin to cover how upset my daughter was going to be.

  Chapter 36

  Monday morning early…

  Time in a Bottle

  "So how did it go?" asked Clancy, sticking her head inside my office. As usual, she was dressed in classic style, gray slacks, a pink twin set, and pearls. But the black booties on her feet jazzed up the outfit, making it more trendy than retro.

  "Not well, at first," I admitted. "Anya started to get really, really upset. In the beginning, she thought this was a practical joke. Then she wanted to run over and fuss at Leighton. Of course, she cried. Then she started to spiral out of control because to her, this place is home, and here she was being asked to make all these adjustments."

  "Sharing it with a new brother and a baby and a nanny," said Clancy.

  "Plus a new father figure. The whole kit and caboodle."

  "That must have been distre
ssing."

  I grinned despite myself. Only someone like Clancy could use the word "distressing" in a sentence and sound totally sincere.

  "It was," I agreed. "For a while, I thought we were on our way to a full blown meltdown, but then something miraculous happened. Erik walked over and put his hand on Anya’s shoulder and said, ‘Peas don’t cry.’ She recognized that he was puckering up, and suddenly there was more at stake that just her own welfare. I give her credit: She hasn’t been a big sister for long, but she’d taking to the role just fine. This was a horrible shock to her, and she handled it pretty well, all things considered."

  "What about Brawny? What did she say?"

  "Detweiler had forewarned her, but even so, she surprised me. She put an arm around Anya and said, ‘We’ll all be together, Annie. That’s what counts. You know what a blessing it is to have your family by your side, and you can see that your mother is plenty upset about this. Takes a big woman with a grand heart not to be all hateful to Mr. Haversham, although if he crosses my path in a dark alley, I might have to use my dirk on him to carve out that black heart of his.’"

  "Uh!" Clancy covered her mouth. "She did not!"

  "Oh, yes, she did. To make her point, she pulled a tiny knife from the garter holding up her knee socks. I thought I’d keel over on the spot, but Anya was fascinated. Erik took one look and said, ‘Dirk,’ so I suspect he’s seen it before. Next thing I know, the kids are out in the yard, and Brawny’s showing them knife tricks."

  Clancy sank down in the chair across from me. "I don’t know whether to laugh or cry."

  "Well, it does explain one thing. I wondered why she never wears slacks, only her kilt, and now I see that if she had on pants she couldn’t grab that knife in the blink of an eye."

  "Is she still thinking that someone might hurt Erik?"

  I’d warned everyone in the store that Erik could be targeted. To my mind, forewarned was forearmed. Since he often came here to play, they needed to be on their guard.

  "Yes, in fact, while we were out, she heard from Lorraine Lauber."

  "News?"

  "Sort of. Lorraine ordered a guard dog. A smart idea, actually. The breeder’s in Frankfort, Kentucky. Since that’s close to us, she’s planning a short visit. Should be here on Friday."

  "You really do have your hands full, don’t you?" said Clancy.

  "Yep. Should be interesting, huh?"

  Chapter 37

  "Knock, knock," said a voice outside my office door. Clancy and I pivoted in our seats to see Hadcho.

  "I didn’t come to do a security check, but now that I’m here, you need to either keep your back door locked at all times or have some sort of dinger that rings when it’s open. I’ll talk to Detweiler about it. In the meantime, lock up, okay?"

  Clancy got up to move over one seat, but before she could, Hadcho asked, "Got any coffee in here?"

  "So now I’m your personal secretary?" Clancy doesn’t take any guff off of anyone. I like that about her. I would have gone and poured him a cup without a second thought. Not Clancy. She’s very good at drawing lines and keeping boundaries.

  "No, ma’am, you aren’t. If you’ll point me in the right direction, I’ll make coffee for all of us."

  She did. To my surprise, she was back in a few, but she took the seat farthest from the door. Her mouth twisted as she tried to resist the urge to smirk about her victory.

  Sure enough, Hadcho returned with three coffees on a tray. "I made instant decaf for you, Kiki. I know you miss the real stuff, but that’s the breaks."

  I thanked him and took my mug. He’d doctored it just right.

  "Now that we’re all set with our refreshments," he said. "I call this meeting to order. I am no fool, so I’ve decided to work with you rather than against you."

  "What exactly does that mean?" I asked.

  "Murray told me that he’s running up against a brick wall with Laurel Wilkins’ stabbing. Detweiler will be here any minute, and he’ll fill you in on what we’ve learned."

  As if on cue, my honey joined us. He grabbed a chair on wheels from Margit’s desk and rolled it to the outer edge of the office.

  "I made fresh coffee," said Hadcho.

  "No, thanks," said Detweiler. "Brawny has spoiled me rotten. She fixes a ‘to go’ cup for me every morning."

  "Here’s the deal," said Hadcho. "You both have to agree to keep your lips zipped. We can’t tell you all the details, but you have to tell us everything you learn."

  "Wait a minute," I said. "That hardly seems a fair trade."

  "Take it or leave it."

  Clancy and I exchanged looks, shrugs, and then I said, "Okay."

  "Here’s what Murray has told me. So far none of the forensic evidence has been helpful," said Hadcho. "As you know, we combed that bathroom for anything we could find. In fact, we even removed the sink trap. Oddly, there was all sorts of blood, but without a warrant, we can’t match it to any one person. Laurel Wilkins’ clothes had two types of blood on them. Hers and someone else’s. But Murray can’t figure out who that second person might be. Or even if it’s human. He’s running DNA tests, but as usual, that’ll take a while."

  "We gave Murray your list of attendees, but he could use more background on them," continued Detweiler. "As you’re aware that’s a long list. We’re wondering who knew Laurel and who didn’t. As best you can tell us."

  "Okay," I said. "I can print another copy of the list and tell you what we know, although it’s possible that people knew Laurel outside of the store. If that’s the case, we would be in the dark."

  "Of course," said Hadcho. "But it’s a start."

  As the list of attendees printed, I told my friends, "I saw a photo yesterday. Mary Martha Delaney had it. The picture showed Laurel and Father Joe. But it had been torn to exclude Laurel. The women made it clear that they didn't much care for her."

  "Not care for her?" asked Detweiler.

  "Um, right."

  "Are you holding back on us?" asked Hadcho.

  "No, I mean, sort of. I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything I can’t confirm, but these women definitely did not like Laurel."

  The two detectives said nothing.

  "What about her belly dancing? Could that be a link?" I asked.

  "We’re checking into it," said Hadcho.

  "And her studies?" asked Clancy.

  "Ditto."

  Clancy and I exchanged looks. I could tell that she was considering whether to tell them about the purloined homework. I considered that, too. Finally, I gave in. "We found this in the recycling," and I opened my desk drawer to hand over the papers.

  "We knew she was taking classes from this guy," said Hadcho. "We’re trying to talk to her friends, classmates."

  "Have you questioned her mother?" I asked.

  "She’s in assisted living," said Hadcho, as he looked over Laurel’s homework assignment.

  "I meant Mert," I said.

  Hadcho and Detweiler glanced at each other. The message was obvious. They hadn’t intended to share any more information with Clancy and me. Now we knew that Laurel’s adoptive mother was alive and not in good health.

  "That’s a dead end," said Hadcho. "The whole mother thing."

  "Did you find out about her friendship with John Henry Schnabel?" I asked.

  "They were in foster care together. Laurel wasn’t adopted until she was seven," said Hadcho, "and that’s it, that’s all I’m sharing with you."

  "You have to tell us what her status is," said Clancy. "That’s only fair."

  "She’s getting released tomorrow," said Detweiler. "She still can’t remember anything that happened to her or who stabbed her."

  "We asked the police force over in her neck of the woods to keep an eye on her place. She’s got a small place in an apartment complex," said Hadcho.

  "Good." I nodded my head. "She should be safe."

  "Not exactly," said Detweiler. "The local force didn’t sound very interested in watching over her. In fact, the
y sort of declined our request."

  Clancy and I exchanged surprised looks. "What on earth?" she asked.

  "You have to remember that her uncle is Johnny Chambers. Johnny has made a lot of enemies in the law enforcement community," said Detweiler.

  "But that’s Johnny! That’s not Laurel!" I said. "Can’t they tell the difference?"

  Hadcho sighed. "Unfortunately, in this case, they don’t seem to want to tell the difference."

  "So you’re telling us that they won’t keep an eye out for Laurel’s assailant?" asked Clancy.

  Detweiler looked down at his feet. Hadcho answered for them. "That’s pretty much the way it is."

  Chapter 38

  After I kissed Detweiler goodbye and gave Hadcho a peck on the cheek for good measure, I closed and locked the back door. Hadcho was right. We needed to keep it locked, but that would only work if all my employees had keys. Catherine was due to arrive at one. She would be working her first "in store" crop. Margit wouldn’t be in today because she was meeting with one of the doctors at the assisted living facility where her mother was a resident. Margit’s aging mother had dementia, and from what little Clancy knew, the woman’s health had taken a turn for the worse.

  I still needed to prep for our crop, but I planned to involve Catherine in that, which would be good because she’d learn the ins and outs of what was necessary.

  "I need to run an errand," I told Clancy. She was taking a quick inventory of our inks and Tim Holtz paraphernalia. Since tonight I was teaching our croppers how to make paper beads, these supplies would go fast.

  "Let me guess," she said, smiling up at me from her spot on the floor. "You’re running by the hospital where Laurel is."

  "Actually I wasn’t, although that’s a good idea."

  "I think so, too," she said with a nod. "Especially given that the local law enforcement community isn’t interested in protecting her. Why don’t you take money out of petty cash? Drop by Dierbergs or Schnucks and pick up a bouquet. I’ll make a fake name badge for you."