Etched in Tears

by Cheryl Hollon

Lucas took a step back. “Not more than a minute. I wanted to know if Suzy needed a drink. It can get hot out here and I saw that you didn’t have a bowl of water for her.” His handkerchief appeared to swiftly wipe his forehead. “I didn’t mean to overhear.”

  Jacob looked down at Suzy. “That’s very kind. Suzy would like some water.”

  Lucas merely nodded and escaped into the museum.

  “Jacob? Suzy doesn’t appear thirsty. What did you want to tell me without Lucas overhearing?”

  “I want you to ask Lucas if he has read those notes. It could make a difference in our investigation.”

  Savannah smiled. “Good thinking. I’ll be promoting you soon if you continue to show this much initiative.”

  Jacob’s eyes lit up like beacons.

  Lucas returned from the museum with a stainless-steel dog bowl filled to the brim with water. Savannah and Jacob watched him walk as smoothly as he was able. It wasn’t good enough to avoid water splashes down the entire front of his uniform. He placed the water bowl on the ground next to Suzy. She looked up at him, then looked at Jacob, then looked at Savannah. She tentatively drank a few laps, then lay back down with her head on her paws.

  Jacob said, “Thank you Mr. Brown.”

  “By the way, Lucas”—Savannah cleared her throat—“have you examined Dennis’s exhibit pieces closely?”

  Lucas hitched his water streaked pants up. “No, I haven’t.” He glanced in the direction of the third-floor exhibit. “I didn’t think of that. Have you discovered something? Is there a clue?”

  Savannah turned to give Jacob a look. “We’re not sure, but wanted to know if you had noticed anyone behaving strangely after viewing the exhibit.”

  “No, but that’s a great idea. I’ll ask the other guards and then I’ll see if I can find a clue. Thanks for letting me help.” He rushed into the museum with a bounce in his step.

  “Thanks, Jacob. That was helpful, but I’m not sure we’re going to get anything useful.”

  “Maybe not,” said Jacob. “More eyes on a problem is always good.”

  Chapter 29

  Friday noon

  “This is a surprise. After months of trying to get our schedules aligned, we have two lunches in the same week.” Savannah smiled at Officer Williams who had texted her to meet at Pom Pom’s on Central Avenue for a quick bite. Savannah ordered the turkey with ginger cranberry chutney sandwich along with the specialty iced milk tea, with a splash of half-and-half. Joy ordered a gluten-free version of the same sandwich and a cold pressed coffee with almond milk.

  “I’m gluten intolerant. It’s been a distressing discovery and is a royal pain. When my doctor suggested it, I thought he was reaching for straws.”

  “That makes eating out a little tough, doesn’t it?” Savannah smiled as the server brought their drinks.

  Joy half smiled. “You bet it does. However, I’ve been restricting all gluten for about a month now and damned if I don’t feel fantastic. I have a few local choices, but I’ve noticed that more and more eateries are offering gluten-free.”

  “So, why the quick lunch?”

  Joy leaned over the table and lowered her voice. “Detective Parker has given me the lead in the Dennis Lansing case.”

  “Really? He did? That’s amazing and a visible vote of confidence.”

  “I’m thrilled and nervous. Temporarily, he says. It’s mostly because there was something that took priority. You heard about the terrible shooting at the nightclub in Orlando? He’s gone over there to lend a hand.”

  “That’s been all over the news,” said Savannah.

  “What a heartbreaking tragedy. He’s working on that?”

  “Yes. He was instantly pulled off Dennis’s case—all his cases in fact—to assist the lead investigator. They’re sending the best officers from all over Florida. Good choice by the Orlando chief of police, wouldn’t you say?”

  “Absolutely. She’s not only incredibly smart but not afraid to ask for help. No stinting on giving the victims’ families justice.”

  “Coroner Gray also left to help with the identifications and autopsies,” said Joy.

  “It’s horrible that an area known for its fairy-tale magic now feels unsafe and intolerant.” Savannah let a silence settle between them. “You know working the massacre will change them both.”

  “True,” said Joy. “I hope it finally drives them together. They’ve been dancing around each other too long.”

  “They have?”

  “Oh yes. The best kept secret romance that everybody knows about. Except you, of course. Speaking of romance, when are you going to let that handsome Brit move in with you? You love him, don’t you?”

  Savannah felt a rush of warmth creep up over her ears. “Not shy, are you? Yes, I do, but I seem to be nervous about sharing my dad’s home with him.” She folded her hands and propped her chin on them. “Hearing about the tragedy, hearing how young most of the victims were . . . makes one think.” She stared in silence.

  They sat without moving for what seemed like a long time.

  Joy broke the silence. “It’s a reminder to get on with it.” She picked up her sandwich and took a huge bite. “You know,” she mumbled, “if Detective Parker solves the case quickly—he will if it is at all possible—I think the Orlando chief will petition our chief to promote him outside the normal cycle.”

  “Wow, no pressure for either of you, huh?” Savannah smiled.

  “Since we’re short staffed, I was the only one available to handle the Lansing case. It also means that I won’t have access to anyone else. They will all be working on the big investigation.”

  “So, you have to do this by yourself? That’s not fair.”

  “Opportunities don’t come with a guarantee of fairness. I’m grabbing this with both hands.” Joy took a huge mouthful of the sandwich and followed it with a sip of tea. “Detective Parker’s vision has always been about serving justice, but he will be the youngest major ever.”

  Savannah tilted her head. “So, if Detective Parker gets promoted, what about you?”

  “It does leave a vacancy. I could not be promoted to his level of course, but I would be delighted to step up a rank.” A smile lit up Joy’s face.

  Savannah finished her sandwich and folded her hands in front of her. “Okay, what do you want me to do? How can I help?”

  “I’m on my way over to see Mr. Armstrong. Tell me what you asked and what you said. I want to be sure to get as much as I can from him.”

  Savannah related the conversation that she and Jacob had with Mr. Armstrong.

  “Were there any unusual reactions to your questions?”

  “It’s hard to say. His breathing was labored and it was difficult to understand him most of the time. His voice was thin and tended to drop away at the end of sentences.” Savannah propped her chin on top of her overlapped hands. “But now that I’m talking about it, he reacted in an odd way to one name. He looked annoyed and uncomfortable at the mention of Dennis’s wife. He frowned and then quickly recovered. Honestly, though, it could have been his irritation at not being able to speak properly.”

  “He seemed to know Harriet? Did you follow up?”

  “No, I was interested in his participation in the apprenticeship program. But now that I think about it, Harriet is the same age as Dennis was. I didn’t know her very well in high school. We didn’t meet much at all. I vaguely remember her as a confident and focused student in a popular group of girls. I was never one of the cool kids.”

  Officer Williams took out her notebook and made a few notes and returned it to her back pocket. “What about Dennis’s friends? Did he give you any names?”

  “No, we asked, but again he seemed very uncomfortable. By that time, I thought we were exhausting him. His health appears quite fragile.”

  “Thanks, that will give me a chance to not only cover the same ground that you did to see if his story matches yours, but I’ll also have a chance to find out more about Harriet.” Joy lea
ned forward again. “In Detective Parker’s opinion, she’s the most likely one to have killed Dennis.”

  “I can certainly agree with her having the most motive. Apparently, she’ll soon have control of her trust fund and she hasn’t bothered to hide her irritation at Dennis’s ability to spend large amounts of money arranging for these exhibits. Just think about shipping all those pieces.” Savannah shuddered. “It gives me the sweats. Each piece would have to have a custom box created for it. All the insurance required for a specialized shipper would be pricey. I wonder how they managed?”

  “So you think Detective Parker is right about Harriet? He’s quite good.”

  Savannah downed the last of her iced tea. “He’s usually right. However, I have to tell you that I have had several experiences with him being completely wrong.”

  Chapter 30

  Friday evening

  “I wonder why Gina wanted a candlelight memorial?” Savannah asked Amanda as she parked her Mini in the member parking lot.

  “You didn’t really have to pick us up. We could have taken one of those share-ride cars . . . or even a taxi.” Rachel pushed open her door and stepped out in head to toe white except for bright teal eye shadow that covered her entire lid, meeting up with her penciled eyebrow.

  “That’s nonsense.” Faith stepped out of the car from the passenger side of the backseat. She was also in white except for a pale purple slash of eye shadow. “You’re too cheap to call a cab.”

  “I prefer frugal,” said Rachel.

  “It looks like it’s going to be well attended. The lot is nearly full and we’re almost half an hour early.” Savannah looked around. She saw that the public parking garage also received a steady stream of cars.

  “That would be something to find out tonight,” said Amanda. “The invitation was from the Dali Museum using their normal member newsletter. Harriet could have asked Gina or Gina could have done this on her own.” Amanda was also dressed in head to toe white including white sandals and white fingernail polish.

  Savannah had chosen a white button-down blouse over a light tan pencil skirt. She wore a pair of tan kitten heels. The instructions in the newsletter had been explicit. She wondered if the dress code had a deep philosophical meaning or was it petty to think that Gina was looking for an artistic image that would align with the Dali esthetic. Savannah preferred to think the former.

  They entered the museum and followed the quiet, slow moving crowd out to the garden area. A museum employee stood beside a table outside the double doors. He handed them a small white candle slipped through a white paper circle and motioned for them to join the crowd that was slowly filling up the entire garden area.

  “There’s those brothers who have an antique shop.” Faith grabbed her sister’s arm and spoke back over her shoulder. “They know lots of gossip. We’ll find you after the service.” They swooshed away.

  Savannah walked toward the green bench sculpture. There was a bouquet of white lilies loosely tied with a white satin ribbon around the green stalks that had been placed on the seat. She felt a heaviness slip into her chest and quickly grabbed Amanda’s hand. “I’m glad that you’re here. It didn’t feel right to ask Edward to change his plans to attend. I could be wrong, of course. We haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately.”

  Amanda squeezed her hand. “Even when things don’t work out, a first boyfriend is a special, special person.”

  They stood in front of the bench until Savannah felt the sadness lift and a renewed sense of resolve replaced it as she regained her composure. “Let’s move closer to the speaker’s podium. I want to hear what Gina and Harriet have to say.”

  The crowd began growing larger as more and more participants dressed in white arrived. It was taking on the look of a Victorian garden party. Conversation was hushed. Even so, the noise level was beginning to rise. Savannah recognized quite a few of the faces she saw at the exhibit opening reception. She caught a glimpse of Dennis’s mother, Betty, and Chuck was looking uncomfortable in just a white sport jacket, white shirt with no tie, over khaki trousers. Lucas was there and had found an all-white uniform.

  A few minutes after seven o’clock, Gina and Harriet approached the podium.

  Gina’s face was flushed dark and she pulled at the Dali red lips on a black background scarf that was the blatant bit of color in her all-white blouse and her white pencil skirt. Except for her bloodred stiletto heels, of course. Following aggressively closely was Harriet and the reason for Gina’s ire became obvious. Contrary to the instructions in the newsletter invitation, Harriet wore unrelieved black from head to toe. A jaunty black fascinator perched just over her right eye.

  Gina placed a sheet of paper on the podium, then tapped the microphone twice politely to not only get everyone’s attention, but also to make sure that it was on. She looked behind her and nodded to Lucas Brown. He stood at a military parade rest position, but his eyes were scanning the crowd. Gina also threw a tiny glance at Harriet.

  Gina cleared her throat and stared at the memorial celebration participants. “Thank you.” She paused a moment. “Thank you.” She waited until the crowd fell into silence. “My dear friends, thank you for attending this candlelight memorial for Dennis Lansing. He was a local boy who overcame a troubled misspent youth to rise to the top tier of an elite group of artists. His vision, energy, and creativity never failed to please his benefactors and clients. We have lost a brilliant star. Our memorial tonight pays homage to his enormous talent. I believe we have the peak expression of his talent in our gallery. As a special tribute to his memory, this exhibit has extended its run to the end of next month.”

  There was a murmuring rustle through the crowd forcing Gina to tap the microphone again to gain the attention of the crowd. “Please, please.” She paused until there was silence. “Our memorial program tonight is as follows. We’ll have a few words from Dennis’s widow and business partner, Harriet Lansing, followed by the lighting of our candles, during which Kate Finburg, star soprano with the St. Petersburg Opera Company, will perform. At the end, we’ll say our farewells to Dennis by leaving our candles by the green bench sculpture and quietly exiting the garden.” She waved her hand toward Harriet and stepped back to stand by Lucas. Her hands were clenched and her posture stiff.

  Harriet spread a small crumpled piece of paper flat onto the podium, then she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her voice was high and thin as she read her testimonial directly from the paper without looking up. “Dennis was the guiding light of my life. He calmed my nerves as the world turned and now here we are at the edge of night trying to understand that it will be another world without him here.”

  Amanda leaned over and whispered softly into Savannah’s ear, which surprised Savannah so much that she jumped. “She must have written that. It’s horrible. Did she think we wouldn’t recognize the names of those daytime TV soap operas? She could have paid someone to write a beautiful testimonial. That’s unbelievably crass and petty. Do you think this is an act of some sort?”

  “If she’s hoping for a distraction from being investigated, this is an epic fail.” Savannah shook her head slowly.

  Harriet grabbed the crumpled speech and crushed it into a ball. She looked around for somewhere to dispose of it, but ended up just holding it. She stepped back an awkward distance away from Gina.

  After Harriet left the podium, Lucas walked over to Gina and lit her candle with a white butane lighter. She allowed the flame to strengthen and walked out into the crowd and lit several of the candles near her. “Please share the light of his spirit.” The visitors began lighting each other’s candles and soon the garden was dotted with the flickering of several hundred candles.

  Gina returned to the podium. “Next, we have Kate Finburg, from the St. Petersburg Opera Company. She grew up here and will sing an aria from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. It’s about deep love and tragic loss.” She nodded to a tall, thin, young black woman with wild curly hair and bold pink lips who was dressed in
long white robes.

  The opera singer stepped in front of the podium and solemnly scanned the guests until absolute silence fell, then rested her sad gaze on the green bench. She leaned down to the microphone and announced, “I am singing the aria ‘O Mio Babbino Caro.’” She lifted her head to look at the sky and began to sing in a lilt that portrayed the tragedy of a life lost before it began.

  Savannah thought the selection was perfect and looked at Amanda to see her reaction. Amanda was in thrall with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

  Bending down to Amanda’s ear, Savannah whispered, “Is this your first live opera?”

  Amanda nodded as tears slipped down her cheeks.

  Savannah gave her a side hug. “You’ll never be able to live without it again.”

  The clear notes of the diva rose sweetly to a full and rich finale that left a haunting echo hanging large in the warm air.

  A resounding slap broke the spiritual silence and everyone turned around and saw Gina holding the side of her face. “You can’t do that!” She stepped back from Harriet and her eyes flashed murder. Harriet screamed, “I’ll have you fired. I can do that now that I’m rich.”

  “Rich isn’t going to help you in jail, you killer,” shrieked Gina as she lunged toward Harriet with clutching hands and grabbed her by the throat.

  Lucas Brown pulled Gina away from Harriet. “Stop that! Are you two crazy?”

  Several members of the crowd began to move toward the disruption. Before anyone got close, Officer Joy Williams suddenly appeared at Lucas’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll take it from here. Ladies, this is disruptive behavior. We’re going to have a serious discussion. Is there somewhere inside where we can talk?”

  Gina adjusted her skirt and glared daggers at Harriet. “There’s the Community Room just inside.”

  “Let’s go.” Officer Williams held both women by their elbows and then looked into the crowd. “Savannah,” she called.

  “Yes, Officer Williams, I’m right here.” Savannah moved out of the crowd, closely followed by Amanda.