“Ramona.” Nora’s voice was sharp.
“W—wha—who is this?”
“Grace’s mother,” Nora said. “Look, are you safe? Where are you?”
“At home.”
“So your mother’s there, too?”
“No, she’s not home yet. But I—” Her voice rose to a scream and there was a crash as the phone dropped to the floor. “You! How did you get in? I told you, I’ve had enough! I’m confessing everything!” Nora heard Ramona scream.
There was a loud crack and then a devastating silence.
“Ramona!” Grace yelled. “Ramona! Are you alright? Answer me!”
But the line was dead. So was Ramona.
*****
Chapter 22
The Key
It was too late.
They reached Ramona’s home only an hour later, but Chief Andrews’ car was parked in the driveway, its blue lights flashing. Nora had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sophia was sitting on the porch steps sobbing and Uncle Finley had an arm around her. Two men in white coats were carrying a stretcher, a white bedsheet covering the body upon it.
Grace made the sign of the cross as the men passed by. Nora shuddered.
“Grace?” Jacob had been sitting next to Sophia and consoling her. He sprang up when he saw Grace and came running down the steps. He stopped just a few feet away, suddenly awkward. Grace reached out a hand to touch him and then dropped it. She looked away.
“Ramona phoned me,” Grace said. “We heard the killer come in. We heard her get murdered on the phone, Jacob.”
“What?” Jacob looked confused.
Chief Andrews appeared out of nowhere, as though he sensed something important was happening. “Care to repeat yourself?” he asked, taking out a notepad and pen.
Grace told him everything, starting from Ramona’s hysteria to the sound of the door.
“But you didn’t actually hear anyone else, did you?” Jacob asked. “And she made a confession? She said that she had killed Bobby?”
“Well, yes. But how does that matter? Clearly someone came into the house and killed her.”
Chief Andrews cleared his throat. “We’re still considering all angles,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Grace stared at him. “Ramona was murdered! Probably by the same person who murdered Bobby Black!”
“Hush.” Jacob looked over his shoulder at a sobbing Sophia. “Not so loud.”
“Ramona’s body was found with a typed suicide note next to it,” Chief Andrews said. “In her note, Ramona confessed that she murdered Bobby Black. She was in love with him, and he didn’t care for her. She invited him to the Giordano home to talk that night and then she pushed him down the stairs.”
“That’s rubbish,” Nora said. “I’m prepared to testify and so is Grace. We know what we heard. The murderer clearly tried to plant evidence in order to close the case. The truth is, Ramona was an accessory to the murder, but not deliberately. I think she didn’t realize until afterwards exactly what she had been conned into doing. When she did realize, she regretted it bitterly and threatened to expose the murderer. That’s why she was killed.”
Chief Andrews nodded, not looking up from his notepad. “Interesting theory.”
“It’s not a theory, my mom’s right!” Grace exclaimed. “We all heard her. She sounded desperate, but not suicidal. And when she asked whoever was there, ‘What are you doing here?’ there was terror in her voice. She was scared to death.”
“Maybe she was having a psychotic break,” Jacob said. “She was delusional and she called you.”
“But that’s interesting, isn’t it?” Nora asked. “Even if Ramona was delusional, why call Grace? She didn’t even like Grace much. It was you she liked. It was you who was best friends with her.”
Jacob’s face hardened. “So you’re calling me a murderer to my face now? Is that what you’re doing?”
“Jacob, dear.” Viola appeared at Jacob’s shoulder, her face shadowed with pain. “Come on. This is not the time to get into arguments with self-proclaimed detectives. We need to comfort Sophia. We need to plan the…the funeral arrangements.” Tears sprung to her eyes.
Jacob put an arm around his mother’s shoulders. “You’re right. There’s a lot of work to do. How’s Sophia?”
“Devastated,” Viola said. “She’s never going to be the same, not ever again. Oh, poor Ramona. Nothing makes sense anymore.”
“Wait,” Nora said. “Who found her today?”
“Hmm? Lucas did. He was on his morning jog when he heard the gunshot. He broke into the house through the backdoor and found Ramona...” Viola shuddered. “It’s too horrible.”
Nora looked around and saw Lucas sitting under a tree with a deputy next to him. His face was pale and drawn. Striding up to him, Nora immediately began peppering him with questions about what he’d seen.
Lucas gave her one word answers, only confirming what Viola had already said: he’d been on his morning jog when he heard a gunshot and, upon breaking into the house, he’d found Ramona by the kitchen table, with a gun in her hand and a gunshot wound to her head.
“Lucas, you came through the back door, but what about the front door?” Nora asked. “Do you remember if it was locked?”
Lucas frowned. “I don’t…I was in a panic. I just called the police and they told me to wait right there. When they arrived, I opened the front door for them. The door was…yes, I remember now. It was locked,” Lucas said.
Nora looked around the porch then went up to Sophia, who had her face buried in Viola’s shoulder. Viola looked truly sad as she patted her best friend’s back.
“An extra key,” Nora said. “Sophia, this is essential. Did Ramona talk to you about a book? A diary?”
Viola snarled, “This is not the time, Nora! Can’t you see she’s—”
“I can talk,” Sophia said between tears. She seemed to be calming down.
“Did Ramona say anything about a diary on Thanksgiving night?” Nora asked.
Sophia shook her head. “No.”
Yet that was the night Ramona had supposedly handed Jacob the diary. Nora bit her lip. “Did she seem excited or unusually happy that night?”
Sophia sniffed. “The truth is…Ramona was in love with Jacob. She always had been. She was furious for most of that night. She didn’t like Grace. But then...” Sophia’s voice trailed off.
“Yes?”
“Then, just before we left, she went upstairs to powder her face. When she came down, she did seem…excited,” Sophia explained. “She asked Lucas to walk us home and she was humming all the way.”
“She asked Lucas? He didn’t volunteer himself?” Nora was thrown off.
“Why are you asking me all these questions?” Sophia asked.
Ignoring her, Nora asked, “And your front door, do you have an extra key?”
“Nora, now is really not the time!” Viola exclaimed again, as Sophia burst into tears once more.
Sophia, sniffing, looked up. Suddenly mute, she pointed to a potted plant that stood by the door. Nora got Chief Andrews’ attention, and they slowly raised the potted plant. Underneath was the outline of a key in dirt. The key itself was gone.
Chief Andrews gave out a little whistle but Nora, having found what she’d been looking for, had already darted off to speak to another person. Uncle Finley.
*****
Chapter 23
Gathering
Uncle Finley stood by awkwardly as Viola and Jacob consoled Sophia. He seemed almost glad when Nora dragged him aside.
“Horrible,” Uncle Finley said. “I just can’t believe that someone would do this to Ramona.”
“Never mind that for now,” Nora said, not realizing how cold she sounded. “I want to know where you were on Thanksgiving night.”
Finley looked taken aback. “Well, that’s my business. Chief Andrews is fine with my alibi. I don’t see why—”
“Please, Finley. It’s urgent,” Nora pleade
d. “I know you didn’t commit these murders. It stands to reason you couldn’t have.”
“Really? You think I’m innocent?” Finley looked baffled. “But you acted as though you thought I’d done it.”
Nora shook her head. “Maybe I had. But the keys, you see. The killer knew exactly where they were, which means the killer was someone both Sophia and Ramona had known and trusted for a long time. I know you didn’t get along so well with either of them.”
“They never wanted me to move up in the company.” Finley scowled. “They were always trying to drag Jacob back to the business. I think Ramona had some sort of fantasy that she’d marry Jacob and they’d all run the company together. The truth is, Jacob would have been miserable. He just isn’t built for big business. Yeah, I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but the truth is that Sophia and her daughter were always on watch, making sure Viola and I never became too close. They never trusted me.”
“One more thing,” Nora said. “Lucas mentioned that you were an eagle scout once. Did you ever take your nephews out hiking?”
“Sure. My brother William and I both did,” Finley said. “The boys are excellent hikers themselves. This entire family is, actually.”
“Alright.” Nora nodded. “One final question. I know you won’t want to answer but I really need to know where you were on Thanksgiving night. Where did you go?”
Finley hesitated. “I don’t—”
“Come on, Finley. Can’t you see what the stakes are?”
“Fine.” Finley sighed. “I drove to a pharmacy. Viola had eaten too much that night and had developed terrible cramps.”
“That’s what you were hiding in your pocket, right?” Nora asked. “Medicine?”
Finley nodded. “I didn’t want her to be embarrassed.”
“But why wouldn’t you just tell me later?”
“Like I said, I didn’t want to embarrass Viola. And, besides, you were so irritatingly persistent.”
“Chief Andrews said he was convinced by your alibi,” Nora said. “So it’s true, then?”
Finley nodded. “He’s got video evidence from the pharmacy.”
Nora sucked in her breath. “This changes everything,” she said. “Thank you, Finley.”
Finley looked confused. “Wait, where are you running off to?” he called after Nora.
“I’m going to talk to the one person who holds the key to all of this,” Nora said.
“Who?” Finley asked.
But Nora was already gone.
*****
She ran all the way down the street, back to the Giordano house. She was quite breathless as she pounded on the door.
Aunt Eugenie opened it, looking confused. “Nora?” she asked. “What are you doing here? I thought Viola had—”
“Never mind,” Nora said. “Is Kaylee here with you? I need to speak to her. Urgently.”
“OK.” Eugenie nodded, opening the door wider. “What is it? Have you figured it all out?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Nora said. “But I think I might have.”
“Mom!” Grace called. Nora turned around and saw that her daughter was right behind her.
Grace bent over, huffing and puffing. “I saw you running down the street and thought something was wrong,” she managed between deep breaths.
Almost comically, Jacob came jogging up behind her. “Grace! You ok? Why did you run away like that?”
“Not now, Jacob,” Grace said.
“Yes, now,” Jacob said. “We need to talk, Grace. You know we do. Ramona’s death just underlined that for me. Life is short. And precious. We never know when it’s our turn next. I can’t imagine spending a single day without you.”
“Jacob—”
“No,” Jacob said. “I know you were angry when you tossed this ring back at me and I know maybe I deserved that anger. But we should work it out, shouldn’t we? Whatever went wrong between us, I still love you. I always have. Nothing’s ever going to change that.”
Grace melted a little. “You mean it?”
“Yes,” Jacob said. Turning to Nora, he said, “I’m sorry, Nora. You were right. I’ve been deluding myself. But it’s plain to see now. Bobby Black’s death wasn’t an accident, and Ramona’s death isn’t a suicide. Someone did this—” His voice cracked with pain. “Someone close to me.”
“But Jacob!” Aunt Eugenie protested.
“No, Aunt Eugenie.” Jacob shook his head. “We can’t stand in front of the truth. Our family’s history is full of lies and betrayal. And true love was sacrificed for it. I won’t let that happen this time. I won’t let Maria’s story be repeated. Whoever killed Ramona and Bobby has got to pay for it, no matter how painful it is for the rest of us. I won’t shield anyone from their consequences.”
Aunt Eugenie shrank back from him for a second. Then she sighed, bowing her head. “Maybe that’s for the best,” she said.
Jacob stormed to his room, then came back down with Maria’s diary. “I should have submitted this book to Chief Andrews the second I got it,” he said. “Instead, I just sat on it, thinking it wasn’t connected to Bobby Black in any way. But I was wrong. This book is the key to everything, isn’t it?” he looked at Nora.
Nora nodded. “In a manner of speaking, yes,” she confirmed. “That book is central to Bobby’s murder.”
Jacob handed the book to Aunt Eugenie, just as the door opened behind him. Uncle Finley, Lucas, Sophia and Viola stood silhouetted in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” Lucas asked. “Are we having a family gathering?”
Aunt Eugenie had been reading the book with dawning horror. She stared mutely up at Lucas, then at Jacob. “This is horrible,” she said. “All this time I thought…but it was my own ancestor who...”
“Where’s Nora?” Jacob asked, looking around. Indeed, the second she could slip away, Nora had run into Kaylee’s room. She emerged from that room now, with a scared looking Kaylee standing next to her.
“We need to talk,” Nora said. “Let’s gather in the library. I think it’s time the killer came forward. Don’t you?”
*****
Chapter 24
The Final Confrontation
There were confused glances all around as the family gathered in the library. Viola sat on the couch with Finley and Jacob on each side of her. Lucas sprawled down into an easy chair, while Aunt Sophia, Aunt Eugenie and Uncle Dave sat on a couch at a right angle to the rest. Grace, unsure of her own position, stood by the doorway, watching the others, while Nora stepped forward into the center of the carpet with Kaylee next to her.
“Tell everyone what you told me, dear,” Nora said when a hushed silence had fallen.
Kaylee looked up at Nora, uncertain, then at her Uncle Jacob.
“Don’t worry, Kaylee. Go ahead and tell us. I promise nobody will be mad at you,” Jacob said soothingly.
“I just don’t see the big deal,” Kaylee said. “It wasn’t a big deal at all.”
“What wasn’t?” Jacob asked sharply.
“Bobby Black taught at my school for a little while, but he got fired,” Kaylee said. “Because they found out he was in jail.”
There were gasps all around and Viola looked at Kaylee with dawning horror on her face. “He didn’t talk to you, did he, Kaylee?”
“No. Not much. One time, when Aunt Ramona dropped me off at school, he was flirting with her. He asked her if I was her daughter. She laughed and said no. She told him my mom’s real name he got all weird. He asked me how old I was and a bunch of other questions.”
Jacob looked confused. “What other questions?”
“Just about my mom and my birthday and stuff. But I had to go to class so I left. He was still talking to Aunt Ramona, though.”
“How long ago was this?” Jacob asked.
Kaylee cocked her head and scrunched her eyes. “Ummm…the day before our dance lineup was announced, I think.”
“Two weeks ago,” Jacob said.
“Yeah, about that, I gu
ess.”
“Thank you Kaylee,” Nora said, patting her on the head. “You did a great job remembering this.”
“But why?” Kaylee asked. “Why does it matter?”
“It’s just good for adults to know if a criminal tried to talk to you, sweetheart.” Jacob was looking furious. His face was red and his fists, hidden behind his back, were clenching open and shut.
“Grace, would you take Kaylee to her room for a little while?” Nora asked. “I’d like to talk to the others.”
“Okay.” Looking mystified, Grace headed out the door.
“I’m not in trouble, am I?” Kaylee cast a plaintive glance at her grandmother and uncle.
“Oh, sweetheart, no!” Viola walked over and gave Kaylee a tight hug and then a kiss on her head. “I love you so much. You know that? You’re the best little girl in the world. You’re not in any trouble at all. We adults just have to discuss something. Now go to your room and practice your dance with Grace. Afterwards, we’ll all have ice cream.”
“Awesome!” Looking relieved, Kaylee hugged Viola back and gave her a big, smacking kiss. “See ya!”
Viola watched Kaylee and Grace walk upstairs then shut the door of the library. Turning to Nora, she had a fixed expression on her face. “You had better explain it all to all of us now,” she said, “because, personally, I’m mystified.”
Nora nodded. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll explain.” She took a deep breath.
“None of the events before or after the murder made much sense to me,” Nora said. “Bobby Black was a criminal, and your family is full of good, upstanding folks. How could he possibly be connected to you?”
“He wasn’t,” Lucas said.
“And yet, he had to be,” Nora said. “It was no coincidence that he ended up dead in the Giordano home. There was very little chance that he’d tripped, too. No. It had to be one of you who killed him. Yet all of you had convenient alibis.”
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