by Nicole Ellis
Anthony’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t get to see my mom today? But I promised her I’d come see her today. She’s waiting for me.”
“Oh, honey, it’s ok. I’m sure she understands you can’t come visit every day,” I said. Anthony started full-on blubbering.
“Buh… misser.” His words came out in shudders.
“Anthony, I can’t understand what you’re saying. Can you calm down a little and tell me what you said?”
Most of the shudders stopped, and I was able to make out “But I miss her” before globs of snot came out of his nose. I pulled out a Kleenex and wiped his nose off.
I checked my watch. “Ok, I think we have time to go up there really quick and see your mom. Does that sound good?” He nodded.
I was down to about ten minutes of primping time, twenty if traffic was amazingly good. I suppose it didn’t really matter. Adam and I had been married for many years, so what was one more evening where I didn’t look like I’d stepped off the pages of a magazine. I called my mother-in-law to let her know of the change in plans and to expect us in a little over an hour.
27
I drove to the hospital in Everton and miraculously avoided a speeding ticket.
I shepherded the boys toward Desi’s hospital room and paused with them in the hall, just short of her door. I knelt in front of my nephew.
“Anthony, your mom might be resting, so we need to be really quiet, ok? She and the baby need to get as much sleep as possible.” Anthony nodded solemnly, his eyes wide.
We tiptoed to Desi’s room and peeked in. She lay reclined on the bed with her eyes closed. The TV played at a low volume. Mikey accidentally kicked the curtain divider, causing a rustling noise.
Desi’s eyes flew open, and she smiled widely when she saw her son.
“Mommy.” Anthony ran to her, tears streaming down his small cheeks. He pressed his head into his mother’s side, and she leaned down as far as she could without squishing her massive stomach.
“Thank you,” Desi mouthed over Anthony’s head. I nodded. Some things were worth more than looking like a model for my husband.
“I thought I’d bring the boys by to see you before I drop them off at your parents’ house,” I said brightly, resisting the urge to check my watch again.
“Today’s Friday, isn’t it?” Desi asked. “Don’t you and Adam have a big date tonight? He’d better be taking you somewhere nice. Next time I see that brother of mine, I’m going to remind him how lucky he is to have such a great wife.”
I smiled. “I think we’re going to the Italian place in downtown Ericksville.”
She frowned. “Wow, my brother, the big spender. I always feel like I’m going to see Lady and the Tramp coming out of that place.”
“Hey, I like the kitschy décor. And it works perfectly because, as it turns out, the preschool’s auction committee meeting is tonight, right down the street from the restaurant.”
“Ha! Don’t say I didn’t warn you about all the ‘fun’ you’ll have with the auction experience.” She rolled her eyes. “Nancy’s going to wring every drop of energy out of you that she can.”
“Hey, I can see a big ship out there,” Mikey called from his perch on the windowsill. Anthony ran to him and they both pressed their noses to the glass.
“So how are you doing?” I asked her.
“Ok, I guess,” she said. “The latest test results were better, but still not good enough to spring me from this joint. I miss being at home, even the little things like washing dishes or sweeping the floor. Anything to be moving.” She looked wistful.
“Well, I’ve got some great news for you.”
Her eyes met mine. “What?”
“Anna Westen told me the sale for the BeansTalk building didn’t go through. The café is safe.”
Her jaw dropped and then a huge smile swept over her face. “Really? I don’t have to worry about it?”
“Really.” I hugged her.
“I can’t believe it. I’ve been so worried about the café.” Some of the stress lines disappeared from her face. “So how are things with you? How is the job at the condo complex?” She paused. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, and you have to promise you won’t tell anyone I told you.”
I nodded my agreement.
“Tomàs was asking me a lot of questions about Elliott and Perry since he knew I went to high school with them. A few days ago, Tomàs was at the hospital with me and another guy from the force came here to talk with him. Tomàs excused himself from the room, but when he returned, he told me the police found Perry’s car at the airport. I bet Perry killed Westen and skipped town!”
“Or he could have been visiting his ex-wife like he said. That’s where Elliott said he was going.” I tapped my fingers on the bedrail. “But the weird thing is, Perry’s ex called the condo sales office and was quite upset that he hadn’t arrived yet. You might be right. But why would he kill Westen?” Visions of bribery transactions on a bank statement floated to the forefront of my brain. But it still sounded crazy to me that my neighbor could have taken bribes.
“A few months ago, I attended a town council meeting. Perry was there, petitioning the town council to make an exception to the height restrictions in place downtown,” Desi said.
“Height restrictions?” Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen any other buildings downtown higher than three stories. The condo project did stick out like a sore thumb. “Wouldn’t that be something they’d have researched prior to construction? What is the height limit?”
“It’s limited to three stories. When they started planning the condo project, they were under the understanding that residential buildings were not subject to the height restrictions. But this wasn’t something Ericksville had ever had to deal with before. After they broke ground, the town council amended the law to include residential buildings and didn’t grandfather anyone in. Perry was so vocal about the unfairness of this after- the-fact change that he made my tantrum look tame in comparison.”
“Wow. So did they make an exception?” Was all my hard work on the marketing materials in vain?
Desi shrugged. “I would assume so since they continued building the condos. But think about it—Samuel Westen had a lot of influence on the town council. If he convinced them to go back on their decision to allow the taller building, Perry and Elliott would be ruined.” She sighed. “All I know is from the sound of things now, Perry has moved up to the top of the list of suspects in Samuel Westen’s murder. Thank God.” She took a deep breath, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Jill, I don’t think I could have taken much more. It was all so ridiculous. I’m a fat pregnant whale. How do they think I could have drugged a man and then dropped his body off of a cliff? It’s insane.”
I squirmed a little in my chair. Either Tomàs knew something about the case that I didn’t, or he’d lied to his wife about her status with the police. “That’s great, Desi.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked. “You’re hiding something.” Desi’s eyes narrowed. “That policeman wasn’t coming here to talk with Tomàs, was he? I’m still a suspect, aren’t I?”
“I’m sure Tomàs knows better than I do.” I willed myself not to fidget.
“Jill, I know where you keep your chocolate stash. I’ll tell Adam, and it won’t be safe anymore,” she said. “Just tell me the truth.”
“Ok, ok.” I looked off to the corner of the room. “Yes, as far as I know, you’re still a suspect.”
Desi crumpled into the pillows and looked out the window for a moment. “What did I do wrong?” she whispered. “First with Ariana, now with this baby. This is all so stupid. I feel like I must have done something wrong to be punished like this.”
“Oh, Desi, you didn’t do anything wrong.” I squeezed her hand. “It’s all a big mix-up. And this isn’t going to be like with Ariana. The doctors said this baby is doing great. You’re doing great. Don’t worry about any of the police junk. Nothing matters b
ut the baby.”
“They’re never going to stop suspecting me until the real murderer is caught.” She turned to me. “Jill, you’ve got to help me. Tomàs can’t do anything but what he’s been doing because he has to follow police procedures. But you don’t have to. You’ve got to help me figure out who really killed Samuel Westen.”
I scanned the room. Anthony and Mikey had moved from the window to the couch, engrossed in whatever show was playing on the TV, and the door to Desi’s room was shut. I leaned in.
“I’ve been checking out some things,” I said. Desi looked up at me, hope written across her face. “Something was going on between the Elkins Development Group and Mr. Westen. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to figure it out.”
“Elliott and Perry were always up to something. I can’t say I’d be surprised if they were involved with this,” she said. “But what was going on?”
“I’m not sure. I have something I want to check up on tonight. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
I planned to sneak into Mr. Westen’s house that night to go through some of his paperwork again. Last time I’d talked to Anna, she’d mention her son having an away game they were traveling to, so I knew she wouldn’t be around and I assumed the key to his house was still in its hiding place. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but something I’d seen previously in his files had caught my eye.
I gave her a quick hug. “Don’t worry about it. It sounds like the police are tracking other leads. I’m sure Tomàs is right, and you won’t be a suspect much longer.” I gave in and looked at my watch. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get the kids to your parents’ house if I’m going to get to the auction committee meeting on time.”
“Go, go. And thanks for bringing Anthony to see me. I can’t wait until I’m out of here.” She looked longingly at the door. “I wouldn’t want you to be late and incur the wrath of the preschool PTA Queen Bees.”
After dropping the kids off at the in-laws, I had about fifteen minutes to get pretty for my date before rushing off to the auction committee meeting. A shower was out of the question, but I had time to curl my hair and throw on a casual little black dress with a fuchsia button-down sweater to wear during the meeting.
When I arrived back at the preschool, the parent volunteers were just taking their seats in the back room.
“Jill, over here.” Brenda turned in her seat and patted the child-sized chair next to her. I sat down, grateful to see a friendly face.
“Thanks. This has been such a crazy day, and I’d forgotten about this meeting until today.”
“I know.” Brenda made a face. “I could have sworn this meeting was two weeks away. How’s it going with the condo project? Any news for me? I haven’t talked with Elliott lately, but I’d love to represent the condos. Do you think you could talk to him for me?”
“I can ask him. You know, it’s weird. I asked him about the development of Westen’s property, and he said he didn’t know anything about it.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I’m sure he said it was a done deal. That’s really strange.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s got a lot on his plate. Poor Elliott, he’s trying to pick up the pieces of his project, and now it looks like the police suspect his partner in Samuel Westen’s murder.” I immediately wished I hadn’t mentioned the possible connection between Westen and Perry since I’d promised Desi to keep quiet about it.
“Really? I wouldn’t have pegged Perry as a murderer. He always seemed like the quiet type, but I guess you can never tell.” Brenda shook her head.
“Actually, you’re the perfect person to ask. Are you familiar with the zoning laws and height restrictions for downtown Ericksville? Desi told me that, a few months ago, Perry showed up at a town council meeting and was angry about some change in the height restriction law and being told to cease construction on the condos. But they still seem to be building, so I’m confused.”
“Oh that.” Brenda waved her hand in front of her. “The town council threatened to shut down the project, but what they really wanted was public-use space in the ground floor of the condo. Once Perry and Elliott resolved that issue, the town made an exception for the height of the building. Sounds crazy, but that’s how business works in small towns.”
Elliott hadn’t said anything about public-use space in the building. Was it still a contingency in the condo building plan permits? How formal could that type of deal be?
“Hmm. I’ll be sure to include the information about the public space in the promotional materials I’m designing. This hasn’t been a very popular project with the rest of the town. If residents know they are getting something out of the deal, it could really help sway public opinion.” I sat back in my chair. “Thanks for clearing up my confusion about the height restriction.”
Brenda smiled. “No problem. Remember to think of me if Elliott happens to mention needing a real estate agent to help sell units in the building.”
Around us, the seats were filling up and parents chatted amongst themselves. I was shocked at the turnout for the auction committee. I’d expected maybe three or four people would get roped into it, but there were at least fifteen people in the small room. I watched as Nancy made her way to the front of the room.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat loudly and beamed at the crowd.
“So nice to see everyone here. I just know this year is going to be such a success,” Nancy said. “Let’s take a moment to introduce ourselves. As you know, I’m Nancy Davenport, and I’ve been chairing this event since my oldest child started at Busy Bees Preschool five years ago. Every year I’ve been involved, we’ve raised so much money.” There was a slight smattering of applause, and Nancy did her best to appear modest.
“Thank you so much. But I did have some help. Although not as much as I’d like,” she said in a teasing voice that did little to hide her true feelings.
“And this is Kari Little, our procurement chair. Kari, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.”
Kari proceeded to give a three-minute biography and then attention turned to the next person in the circle. My bio was much briefer, but the introductions still managed to eat up a huge chunk of time. I tapped my foot against the chair leg. I didn’t want to be late for my dinner date with Adam. It had been too long since we’d spent quality time together.
“Now on to important business. We had scheduled the auction to be held at a venue in Everton, but that has fallen through. Now, we need to find a venue nearby that has an opening in June. Last year Darby Fox’s husband, the P.E. teacher at the local elementary school, permitted us to hold it in the school gymnasium, but I think we can do better this year,” Nancy said. Darby squirmed uncomfortably in her chair, probably regretting she’d ever heard of Nancy Davenport or Busy Bees Preschool.
“Does anyone have suggestions for a venue? Of course we’d love to keep it local and feel the support of our community, but we also need to keep in mind this is a fundraiser and the purpose is to make money, not spend it.”
“How about the Magnuson Cabin at the waterfront park in Everton?” a man in front suggested.
Nancy wrinkled her nose. “That’s a great opener, Dan, but let’s make some serious suggestions. That place is much too dirty for our auction.” The man opened his mouth as if to speak and then closed it, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. Nancy had made another enemy. At this rate, I wouldn’t be at the top of her list of deadbeat parents.
“Does anyone have a real suggestion?” Nancy asked, eyebrows raised. Chairs squeaked as parents shifted uneasily. No one spoke up.
This would have been a lot more fun if Desi could have attended, but even if she’d been physically able to attend, she wouldn’t have touched the auction committee with a ten-foot pole.
I couldn’t help but worry about her. Tomàs had succeeded in keeping the police from interviewing his wife again, but he couldn’t hold them back forever. Perry was a good distr
action for the police, but without concrete evidence against him, the police would be back and Desi would shoot to the top of the suspect list. Still gazing at the floor to avoid eye contact with Nancy, I pulled a small spiral notebook out of my purse and flipped to a clean page. Maybe things would make more sense if I wrote down everything jumbling around in my brain.
Potential Suspects
Perry Winston—Seen arguing with Westen at the town council meeting, but issue seems to have been resolved. Supposedly flew to the East Coast for divorce proceedings with his soon to be ex-wife, but she called Elkins Development Group to ask where he was.
Anna Westen—Hated her father for selling her mother’s land. His death kept him from breaking up the family land even further and allowed her the chance to save the BeansTalk building from destruction.
Desi Torres—Wanted to keep the BeansTalk building from being torn down and losing everything she’d worked so hard for.
Elliott Elkins—Did he know he was Westen’s grandson?
And then, because if Elliott was a suspect, his mother made an even better suspect:
Gwen Hanson—Did she finally get her revenge on Samuel Westen for ruining her life? She had access to the heart medication.
Beth Andrews—I’d found her heart medication in Desi’s office. What lengths would she go to in protecting her daughter?
None of these people seemed like a murderer to me. Was I forgetting anyone? I tapped the pen against my face. Only then did I realize that everyone in the room was staring at me. What had I missed? My daydreaming had landed me in another predicament. I flushed.
“Jill,” Nancy said sweetly, “since you haven’t had the opportunity to be very active in the preschool yet, we thought maybe you’d like to propose a location for the auction.” Time seemed to stand still and my mind raced. Next to me, Brenda hissed something at me. In my flustered state, I couldn’t decipher what she’d said.
