by Jessica Beck
“When, tonight?” she asked, clearly frightened by the prospect of being alone again.
“We’re not deserting you, but it has to be tonight,” Pat said. “The sooner we get started, the better.”
“Please don’t leave me,” she pled.
“Be reasonable, Aunt Della. How can we help you if we don’t talk to some of the folks who might want to wish you harm?”
“Surely it can wait until tomorrow,” she said as she moved to the coffee pot, where the brew was now complete. As Della filled three mugs, she said, “Besides, I was hoping we could take this time to catch up and get reacquainted.”
“If we stay, we need to spend the time talking more about your situation,” Pat said firmly.
“I’ve told you everything I know, and that’s the truth.”
“Not everything, I’m afraid,” Pat said, keeping his voice easy.
Aunt Della looked shocked by the statement. “What could I have possibly left out?”
I knew the answer to that without having to defer to my brother. “You haven’t told us why anyone would want to see you dead. It’s been our experience that uncovering the motive is critical in solving the crime.” I’d only just managed to stop myself from saying the word “murder.” I was afraid how our aunt would react to that.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to kill me,” she said, and I honestly believed her. That didn’t help us out any.
“Think hard,” Pat said as he sipped his coffee. “Have you enraged anyone lately? Do you know anyone else’s secrets? Have you slept with someone else’s husband, by any chance? Something like that would be a real help.”
“Young man, you need to take that back right now,” Aunt Della said angrily.
“It’s a fair question,” Pat said as he shrugged.
“Annie, are you going to let him get away with that? Surely you were both raised better than that.”
She must have lost her mind if she thought I would ever take her side against my brother’s. Even Kathleen knew enough never to try to play that card. I was loyal to Pat without fail and without question. “Coming from your nephew, I’m sure it’s a little unsettling to hear, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re investigating attempted murder, so the gloves have to come off. This is not the time to sugarcoat or obfuscate anything, Aunt Della. If there are any skeletons in your closet, it’s time to trot them out into the light. If you’re uncomfortable doing that with us, then I’m afraid that we’re wasting our time here. Pat?”
“I agree,” my brother said. “I’m not trying to offend you. I’m just looking for something that might help us stop this before it happens.”
After a few moments of silence that seemed to go on forever, Aunt Della said, “I’m sorry. I overreacted, didn’t I?”
Pat was gracious enough to say, “It’s only natural, but we really don’t mean anything by it. We’re here to help, not to embarrass you.”
“Very well. I’ll tell you both everything, not that there’s all that much to tell.”
“Just start telling us about your problems, and let us be the judge of that,” Pat said.
I wasn’t sure what she was about to say, but I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be any more comfortable hearing it than Aunt Della was in saying it, so I braced myself for my aunt’s deepest and darkest secrets.
CHAPTER 6: ANNIE (CONTINUED)
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Aunt Della said in frustration after a few moments. “I can’t think of any reason anyone would want to kill me.”
“Don’t think of it that way,” I said.
“How else should she think of it?” Pat asked me. “Annie, we both know that we need a motive, unless you believe that these are just random acts of some deranged madman.”
“Does that mean that you believe me?” Aunt Della asked my brother.
“I’m working on the premise that everything you’ve told us is true,” Pat said without much inflection in his voice. It was far from an admission that he gave any credence at all to her stories, but evidently it was enough for her.
“I’m so relieved,” she said.
“Now think, Aunt Della,” I said. “Don’t worry about being outlandish or be concerned about besmirching someone else’s name. You’re among family right now, so we’ll hold whatever you tell us in full confidence.” I turned to look at my brother. “Right, Pat?”
“If we can do it without jeopardizing our investigation, I’ll be happy to agree to that,” he said.
“He’s right, Aunt Della. I’m afraid that’s the best we can promise,” I said, agreeing with my brother. It was a foolish time to make promises that we might not be able to keep. “Can you accept that?”
“Of course. I trust you both with my life. After all, I asked you here in the first place, didn’t I?”
I wasn’t sure why she was ready to put her faith in the two of us, since for all intents and purposes we’d just met. “Good. I know it’s going to be painful for you, but we’re asking you these questions for a reason. If we know who might want to wish you ill, then we can focus on a particular set of suspects instead of just going around town accusing everyone we happen to run into.”
“I can see your point there,” she said with a whisper of a smile.
Taking a deep breath and then letting it out slowly, she finally began to answer the most pressing question we’d posed for her so far. “First of all, I don’t know how you can live very long in this world without making enemies. Over the course of the past fifty-plus years, I’ve probably made more than my share. I’m a woman of strong opinions, and a great many folks don’t like that.”
“We’re not asking you for a general rendition of your past sins and shortcomings,” Pat said with a smile. “We need specifics, Della.”
“It’s hard to say. Maybe it’s a heart I’ve broken. That would include Cam and a few other men in town. None of them were happy when I dumped them, but I can’t see any of them wanting to see me dead. This is really difficult.”
“Okay, we’ll deal with your distant exes later. Is there anyone you’ve dumped recently?” I asked her.
“Annie, I’ve been good for quite a while. The last serious interest I sparked would have to be Davis, and I’m not at all sure how intent he was when he asked me out the last time.”
“What do you mean, the last time?” Pat asked.
“Davis has been after me for a date for six months, but I keep turning him down.”
“Why?” I asked. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“He is, but it’s not that easy. First of all, I’m not sure I want to date anyone right now, including him, but even if I did, I’d have second thoughts about trying to go through Serena Jefferson to get to him.”
“Who is Serena?” Pat asked her as he started taking notes on a piece of paper. It was a good idea, since I had a hunch we were going to need a scorecard before this investigation was over.
“She’s his secretary, and believe me, that woman believes she owns the mayor, and anyone else who even gets close to him is in for a hard time of it.”
“Have they ever dated?” I asked her.
“No, not that she doesn’t dream about it every night before she goes to sleep. She’s in love with him, that much is clear to anyone who’s ever been around the two of them together, but as a woman, Davis doesn’t even know that she exists.”
“Do you honestly believe that she might be trying to do away with you to clear the path for her own run at him?” I asked her.
“You should see the woman’s eyes. She’s a little crazy when it comes to her boss.”
“Could Davis be upset with your constant rejections?” Pat asked. Was he buying into her story or just being thorough? Aunt Della was an attractive woman, there was no doubt about that, but she certainly wasn’t one of the all-time great beauties of our century.
“I suppose it’s possible,” she said.
“I would think there was a case to be made for it. After all, he d
id buy the house right beside yours. That sounds a little obsessive to me.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Aunt Della explained. “The house came on the market suddenly, and the mayor has always wanted to live on the water. Him buying that house has nothing to do with me.”
“Can you be sure of that?” I asked her.
“I suppose anything’s possible,” Aunt Della answered. “So, that’s three people on our list already, if we include the police chief.”
“When we mentioned your name to him earlier, he seemed irritated with you more than anything else,” Pat answered.
“Well, the line between love and hate is a fine one indeed,” Aunt Della said.
“Has he asked you out recently?” I wanted to know.
“Yes, but it won’t happen again anytime soon. I crushed his hopes quite soundly the last time he asked me.”
“When was that?”
“As a matter of fact, it was right before the Winter Wonderland festivities all started,” she said, and then she frowned for a moment in thought afterward. “At first, I thought he was joking about asking me to the town supper where I ended up being poisoned, so I laughed it off. It wasn’t until later that I realized that he must have been serious. It’s no wonder the man’s not very happy with me at the moment.”
“Does that cover all of your recent romantic rejections?” Pat asked.
“I would think so,” she replied.
“Okay then, what other motives might someone have to want to see you dead?” he asked.
“It’s a disturbing thing to think about, isn’t it?”
“Aunt Della, it’s the only way we have to figure out what’s going on with you,” I said. “Think hard. Don’t hold anything back.”
“Well, there is one thing. I was in the dressing room at Starland’s last week—it’s a women’s clothing store here in town—and I overheard something troubling.”
“What did you hear?” I asked.
“Two women were discussing doing away with someone while I was changing,” she said. “It sounded as though they were trying to get rid of someone to me.”
“Do you have any idea who was talking?” Pat asked intently.
“No, I’m afraid not. You see, the zipper on the dress I was trying on was stuck, and it took me ten minutes to get it undone. By the time I got out of the dressing room, they were both gone.”
“Is there any chance they knew that you were there?” I asked her.
Aunt Della frowned. “Yes, I’m afraid so. Cindy Nance, the young lady who was working the sales floor that day, asked me if I needed any help right after I overheard them plotting. I’m afraid they knew I was there, all right.”
That could be trouble. If Aunt Della knew something, or if a pair of would-be killers even thought she knew their plans, it could spell trouble for her. “We need to talk to Cindy. Is there any chance you asked her who was there at the store when you were?”
“I didn’t want to bring any more attention to myself than I already had,” she admitted. “I’m afraid that zipper was broken beyond repair, and I wanted her to forget that I’d even been there trying anything on. It was poorly made, but I didn’t want to have to pay for shoddy material. Should I have told her about it?”
Pat rolled his eyes a little as I said, “I’m sure that it’s fine. You said that you’ve been involved with the Winter Wonderland festivities. Could you have slighted someone in your preparations for that?”
“Annie, I denied a few vendors booth space, but it would hardly be a motive for murder.”
“Okay then, did you have any arguments with anyone over the way you and Henrietta were running things?”
“Gary White,” she said gravely. “He was pretty upset with what we decided.”
“Tell us about it.”
“He wanted us to run the parade route past his hardware store, but we chose to go by the bank instead. There wouldn’t have been enough room for the floats to get through if we’d done what he wanted, but would he listen to reason? He would not. I’m afraid it got a bit ugly. He said that he’d rather see the entire festivities go up in flames than let it go on without him. My elimination would have surely accomplished that, wouldn’t it have?”
I made a mental note to speak with Gary White as I saw Pat jotting the name down on his paper. Great minds thought alike. “Is there anyone else?”
“No, not that I can think of. That’s surely enough, isn’t it?” She looked drained from the experience, something that I understood. After all, it couldn’t be easy trying to think of folks who might want to kill you.
“It will do for a start,” Pat said.
“Is that all, then?” she asked us.
“Sorry, but that just covers you,” my brother told her. “We need to talk about Cheryl Simmons now, if you’re up for it.”
“Why do we need to discuss poor Cheryl?” she asked, her voice starting to whine.
“Aunt Della, what if she weren’t killed by accident? If someone wanted her dead, shouldn’t we look into that as well?” I asked her.
“Can’t Cam do that? Surely he’s better equipped to investigate what happened to her than you two are. No offense.”
“None taken,” Pat said automatically. “So, if it’s really a case of mistaken identity, then her murder is pertinent to your case, but if she was killed for other reasons, then you’re fine with letting the police handle things.”
“You make it sound so cold and callous when you put it that way,” Aunt Della said.
“We’re just trying to make the best use of our time and resources,” I reassured her, even though I thought Pat’s summation of her beliefs was spot on. “We have only four days, you know.”
“Can’t you possibly stay longer?” she asked in a soft whimper.
“Sorry, but we’re stretching things as it is,” I replied. “If we can’t help over the course of the next few days, we’re most likely not going to be able to help at all.”
“Today counts as well, then?” she asked incredulously.
“I’m sorry, but it has to,” I said, and Pat nodded in silent agreement. I knew the odds were good that we wouldn’t be able to solve this, especially given such a limited amount of time, but we really had no choice. Leaving the Iron in other people’s hands, no matter how suited they may have been to act in our steads, was something that we were not willing to do any longer than was absolutely necessary, and the sooner Aunt Della accepted that fact, the better for all of us.
CHAPTER 7: PAT
It turned out that I had been right about the sleeping arrangements.
Aunt Della brought me sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. “I’m sorry about the couch, but I have only one guest room, and it’s pink. You don’t mind sleeping out here, do you?”
“No, I’m sure this will be fine,” I said as I took the bedding from her. Behind our aunt, I saw Annie stick her tongue out at me, and it took all I had not to laugh.
Della must have seen something though, and she misinterpreted the expression on my face. “Pat, I know how hard this is for you, and I want to thank you for coming. It’s clear that you’re not happy with me, and the truth of that matter is that I don’t blame you. I’ve made so many mistakes over the years. I wish I had it all to do over again, but that’s not an option, is it? The best I can do is try to make up for lost time. Will you give me that opportunity?”
“Della, all I can say is that I’m doing the best that I can. I’m not trying to hurt you. It’s just hard for me, you know?” I answered honestly. “Let’s figure out what’s really going on here, and then we’ll deal with our family issues. Does that sound fair to you?”
“Perfectly. By the way, I’m fine with you just calling me Della. After all, you’re a little old to call me aunt, aren’t you?”
“It just makes things seem a little less complicated,” I said. “There is no disrespect intended by it.”
“You know, you have some of your mother in you,” she said.
“Ho
w do you mean?”
“She was never afraid to say exactly what she meant, no matter the consequences. It was one of the things I admired most about her, actually. I miss her.”
“I do, too, and my father as well,” I said. There was no criticism in my statement, and she must have sensed that it had been a benign comment, given that she didn’t react to it.
“I’m sure that you do. If you need anything, I’m in the other room.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said.
“Coming, Annie?” she asked as she turned to my sister, who was still standing right behind her.
“In a minute,” she said. “I want to talk to Pat for a minute first.”
“Very well. Good night, twins.”
We both said our good night simultaneously, something that made Della smile.
“Are you okay out here?” Annie asked as she helped me make up the couch.
“I’ll manage. I hope you enjoy your big comfy bed while I’m out here suffering on this atrocity.”
“You saw that room. It looks as though a bottle of Pepto-Bismol blew up in there. I’ve never seen so much pink in my entire life.”
“Want to trade?” I asked her with a smile.
“No, I have a feeling that the pink won’t bother me nearly so much once my eyes are closed. Do we have a solid plan for the morning?”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. We can’t stay here and babysit our aunt all day. We need to get out amongst the townsfolk and see what we can find out.”
“I spotted a diner on the way into town,” Annie offered. “That might be a good place to start.”
“Why am I not surprised you’d find a grill to check out while we were here?” I asked her with a grin.
“Pat, you know as well as I do that a small-town life revolves around food. We’ve got a better chance of finding out what’s really going on by visiting there than we do camping out on the police chief’s front steps.”
