“And Jules almost paid the price. You know, he believes people who live on his side of the tracks don’t get treated the same as the rest of us. I’m starting to think he’s on to something,” Harriet told her.
“Yet Aiden’s name and money didn’t keep him out of jail,” Morse pointed out. She paused and listened. “Okay.” She stood up. “Jules and Michelle are both clear of the area, so I’m done here.”
Harriet walked with her to the door.
“Can you let us know when you have her in custody?”
“I will. And we’ll have someone watching Jules overnight, just in case she tries anything else.”
Morse went out, and Harriet went to the back classroom to find Marjory.
“Do you mind if Lauren and I take our workshop guests up to look at the trims in the attic?”
Marjory laughed. “If any of you are interested in that stuff, I’ll give you a really good deal.”
“Thanks, you’re the best.”
Chapter 30
Mavis tapped on the studio door and let herself in.
“Whoa. Looks like you ladies had fun in Marjory’s attic.”
Lauren, Jessica, Sharon and Harriet were sitting at the four sides of the big cutting table, each with a pile of ribbons and lace in front of them. A larger collection of embellishments was piled in the middle.
“Marjory made us a deal we couldn’t refuse,” Sharon told her.
Jessica looked up. “After this week, we know what to do with all this stuff. More is better, as my teacher said.”
Aunt Beth came in as Mavis was digging through the center pile; she now had her own assortment next to Harriet’s.
“What on earth are you all doing?” Beth asked.
“Marjory gave them a deal on a bunch of stuff from the attic,” Mavis explained. “There’s plenty for all of us.”
“I’ll look after you’re all done. Jorge is coming in a few minutes with dinner.”
“He’s here,” he said as he came in behind her, insulated bags in each hand.
Harriet stood. “Do you need any help?”
“Sure,” he said over his shoulder as he continued on to the kitchen. “You can set your dining room table and help me find two big platters and a bowl.”
Harriet got him the requested serving dishes and set the table.
“Have you talked to Aiden today?”
“I did. I hope this is over soon. He is too sensitive to be locked up with criminals.”
“Unfortunately, getting out of jail is only going to be the beginning of his troubles. I’m not sure how much my aunt told you, but it looks like Michelle murdered Marine and her father. The police wired her brother, and he met with her and told her he saw her go into Aiden’s apartment with Marine and come out alone. She’s supposed to pay for his silence tomorrow. Morse said we can’t tell Aiden or anyone until they have Michelle in custody.”
“Diós mio! It’s going to kill him when he finds out.”
“Jail was hard enough. Getting out is going to be worse.”
“He will be hurt, but we will all support him. After the initial shock, he has to know things were never going to end well with his sister. She was trouble from the start. Their parents gave her every kind of therapy and counseling money could buy. They spent time with the girl, too. It wasn’t like they neglected her or let other people raise her.” He shook his head. “I think some people are just born bad.”
Harriet sighed. “I hope he’s strong enough to get through all this.”
Jessica pushed away from the table.
“That was amazing. If you’re all eating Jorge’s cooking every week, I don’t understand why you don’t weigh a million pounds.”
Harriet smiled. “It’s the main reason I run.”
“I’m blessed with a good metabolism,” Lauren told her.
Sharon set her fork on her plate.
“The raisins were unexpected in the picadillo.”
Jorge blushed. “I have to surprise these ladies once in a while.”
Beth poked him in the shoulder.
“Admit it, you’ve been showing off for our visitors.”
“I have a reputation—”
Jorge was interrupted by the front doorbell ringing. Harriet and Aunt Beth looked at each other.
“No one comes to the front door,” Harriet said.
“Someone better go answer it,” Lauren suggested.
Harriet slid her chair back and stepped out into the entryway. She opened the small spy door at eye level that allowed her to see who was on her porch.
“Michelle?” she said, then, louder: “What do you want?”
“Can I come in a minute? I need to talk to you.”
She held a packet of papers in her hand and was bouncing up and down on her toes. Harriet decided she didn’t look immediately dangerous.
She turned to call back toward the dining room, “It’s Michelle”. She took a deep breath and opened the door. “Michelle, come in. How can I help you?”
“I have to go help a friend in Seattle, and I need to leave tonight. I couldn’t get hold of the Renfros to talk to the kids, and Marcel isn’t taking my calls. Here.” She shoved the packet of papers into Harriet’s hand. “I’m not sure how long this will take. This is a temporary medical power of attorney for each of them and their passports. It’s not a big deal—we do this whenever they spend a weekend away. Tell them I’ll be in touch when I can, but I don’t know how long my friend will need me.”
“Do you have a name or number where we can reach you?”
“You’ve got my cell number, I’ll keep it on. Look, I gotta go.” She turned and all but ran out the front door. Harriet watched as she crossed the porch, descended the steps and got into Aiden’s Bronco.
Harriet leaned against the front door, her hand to her heart. Lauren and Aunt Beth had rushed into the entry.
“Oh, my gosh,” she told them. “She’s making a run for it.”
Lauren pulled her phone from her pants pocket.
“We need to call Morse.”
Aunt Beth took Harriet by the arm and led her back to the dining room to her chair.
“Come on. Sit down.” She handed Harriet her glass of water. “Don’t you think the police have her under surveillance?”
“Call Morse,” Harriet said. “Michelle’s driving Aiden’s Bronco, so I’m guessing she had a plan B—and it worked.”
“Call me right away. Michelle was just here.” Lauren looked up at the group. “It went straight to the machine.”
“Call nine-one-one.” Harriet said.
Lauren complied, but from her side of the conversation, it didn’t go well.
“Well, apparently, Michelle isn’t on any sort of wanted list, and no one they talked to knew anything about her. The operator said she’d contact the detectives on call and have those guys get in touch with us.”
“What did she give you?” Mavis asked.
Harriet opened the packet Michelle had handed her.
“She said it’s the kids’ medical power of attorney and their passports.” She leafed through the papers. Looks like that’s what it is.”
“Surprising she was that thoughtful.” Lauren said.
“She is a narcissist, and I can’t say she’s been the most thoughtful mother, but she does make sure their basic needs are taken care of.”
Jorge came from the kitchen carrying a tray with dishes of flan.
“We might as well have our dessert while we wait for a call back.”
Harriet was eating her last bite of flan when her phone rang.
“Yes, Michelle came to my house and gave me her kids’ passports and said she had to go to Seattle,” she said when Morse identified herself. “She’s driving Aiden’s Bronco…About ten, fifteen minutes ago. Lauren called you right after she left.” Harriet keyed her phone off. “Bye,” she said to the dead screen.
The rest of the group was watching her.
“She was in a hurry. She did say everyone
should stay here in case Michelle gets spooked and decides to come back.”
Lauren went to the studio and returned with her tablet.
“Who wants to take bets on whether Michelle gets into Canada before they catch up to her?”
Aunt Beth looked at her watch.
“Ten minutes to the highway and another ten to the ferry terminal, if she drives fast. If a ferry is sitting there, and she walks on....” She looked at the ceiling in what Harriet knew was her counting-in-her-head mode. “She might make it.”
“Touch and go whether she makes the last ferry,” Lauren said when she’d pulled up the schedule.
Harriet scraped the last bit of caramel sauce from her plate and licked it off her spoon.
“Even if she gets on the ferry, it takes—what?—two hours to cross the strait. That should give the police enough time to alert the guys on the other side to grab her.”
“So, now we wait.” Mavis said.
“Now, we wait,” Harriet agreed.
It was midnight when they finally heard. Jorge was making decaf coffee in the kitchen when Scooter ran to the studio door, barking as he went.
“I’ll get it,” he called to the group in the dining room.
Detective Morse followed him into the dining room and sat down; he returned to the kitchen to get her a mug of coffee.
“I figured it would be easier to come tell you in person,” she said.
“Did you catch her?” Harriet asked.
Jorge came in and set a dish of flan in front of Morse.
“Your coffee will be ready in a minute, but you can start with this.”
She looked up gratefully.
“The detectives in charge were busy getting their teams set up for tomorrow’s meeting with Jules. No one thought she’d bail, so they hadn’t warned dispatch…and you know the rest of that story.”
Harriet stood up and began to pace.
“Please tell me she’s in custody.”
Jorge carried in a steaming cup of coffee for Morse. She took the mug and sipped it, closing her eyes in appreciation.
“You’re killing me here,” Harriet hissed.
Morse opened her eyes.
“Sorry, it’s been a long night. And dinner wasn’t part of it. Yes, Michelle is in custody. She’s currently in Canada, but she’s being held and will be returned in the morning. This option was one she’d given some thought to. While she was making the crossing, she went into the bathroom, cut and colored her hair and came out dressed as a boy, complete with a forged passport that included a picture that matched her new look.”
“Wow,” Mavis said. “She must have planned that more than a day or two ahead.”
Jorge appeared with a plate containing a burrito and a scoop of fruit salad.
“You need to eat.” he said and set the plate in front of Morse.
Morse ate a bite before continuing her story.
“Michelle managed to get off the ferry and walk to the car rental place, which is about ten minutes away on foot. She tried to rent the car with cash, and that made the customer rep suspicious. He wanted to call a supervisor, so Michelle offered to use a credit card. She pulled out one of Aiden’s—apparently, he has one he leaves at home in case Carla needs to pay for something big. She figured out where he kept it and took it with her.
“The rep found the whole interaction a bit too suspicious, so she stalled and went into a back room and called the police. Then she dragged out the process of checking out the car until the police got there and were able to arrest Michelle without incident.”
Harriet sat back down.
“What a relief. I was afraid she’d figure we were on to her and come back here.”
Aunt Beth waited until Morse had eaten another few bites of her dinner.
“Did it turn out Michelle did try to poison Jules?”
Morse’s mouth twitched as she tried to suppress a smile.
“It would seem Jules does owe you his life. Once again, everyone had underestimated Michelle. She was supposed to negotiate with him and then, when she brought him the money the next day, they were going to arrest her in the act. They would confront her with the taped agreement that she’d done something that required payment to keep silent, and she would confess.
“No one expected her to poison him, and they certainly didn’t expect her to run. Our psychologist says she’s a narcissist, and that narcissists believe they are smarter than everyone else. Running didn’t figure into her profile.”
“We really were there by chance,” Lauren said. “We’ve been promising our visitors a visit to Annie’s for cinnamon twists, and it never occurred to us the meeting between Michelle and Jules would take place there.”
“Michelle suggested it,” Morse said. “I guess she likes the cinnamon twists, too.”
Harriet ran her hands through her hair and sighed.
“I think I know why she tried to kill Jules, and why she ran.”
“Why?” Mavis and Beth said at the same time.
“She can’t put her hands on any cash to speak of. That’s why she’s always tormenting Aiden. Their parents set Michelle’s portion of the inheritance as an annuity that’s controlled by a banker. She gets periodic disbursements for spending, but her ex-husband pays for the kids’ expenses as they come up, and the bank pays for Michelle’s rent and therapy appointments.
“Now that she can’t practice law, her personal income is minimal. She gets a little from legal aid, but she spent more than she made when she had a big income. Her legal aid money wouldn’t even cover her spa bills. I hadn’t thought about it before, but she just didn’t have the money to make the payoff.”
Morse chewed thoughtfully.
“I guess with her coming from such a prominent family, no one considered she wouldn’t have access to cash.”
“When will Aiden get out?” Harriet asked.
“I’d like to say tonight, but unfortunately, the detectives on the case are still in Canada questioning Michelle, and anyway, the people who need to process him out work day shift. He’ll be out as soon as they get the paperwork to the jail. I’ll follow up and make sure it happens as quickly as possible.”
“I’d like to pick him up. He doesn’t have his car.” Harriet thought for a moment. “Do you know where his car is?”
Morse put her fork down.
“Michelle left it in the parking lot at the ferry landing in Port Angeles. She wiped it down for fingerprints and left the keys under the mat. She obviously put much thought into her plans and had lots of options.”
“I wonder if she wasn’t planning to head out of the country all along,” Beth said. “She had contacts in France from her parents, and she’d clearly been prepping her kids, what with the French nanny and the French tutor. They speak French like natives. So does she.”
“You’re probably right,” Morse told her.
“She needed to wait to get control of Aiden’s money,” Harriet said, continuing the thought. “That’s why she didn’t just kill him. If he was in jail, he’d have handed over the keys to the castle. She’s been working on him. She’s made all her counseling appointments and has been polite to both Carla and me. We were starting to believe her.”
Aunt Beth sipped her coffee.
“Makes sense. Aiden has the money from his grandma as well as his share of his parents’ estate. She could go to France or Belgium or Luxembourg or any other French-speaking nation and start with a clean slate. Being sanctioned by the bar association must really bother someone like her.”
Mavis sighed. “That girl never could figure things out. She’s bright and good-looking. She has two beautiful children. She had all the advantages, but it was never enough for her. She always wanted more, and she didn’t want to have to work to get it.”
Jorge picked up Morse’s empty plates and carried them to the kitchen. When he returned, he stood behind Aunt Beth, his hands on her shoulders.
“We aren’t going to be able to understand Michelle or
what she did if we talk all night. Harriet is safe, so maybe we should let her get some sleep so she can go pick up her young man in the morning.”
“Good idea,” Lauren agreed. “I have a teleconference with a client first thing tomorrow myself.”
She and Jessica went back to the studio to gather their quilting supplies. Mavis and Beth followed when they’d cleared the rest of the table.
Morse stood up.
“I’ll make some calls. I think we can get Aiden out as soon as the day crew gets to the jail. If you were to be there at eight tomorrow morning, I don’t think you’d have to wait long.”
“Thank you. I know this hasn’t made your situation at work any easier.”
“The younger guys on the force are fine. There are a couple of older guys that will never completely accept a woman detective, but I can’t spend my time worrying about them. I have to do what’s right, no matter,” She smiled, “Besides, they’re going to either retire or have heart attacks long before my career is over.”
“I’m glad you’ve got a good attitude about it.”
Morse patted her on the back.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” With that she went to the kitchen and on through the studio and out.
Chapter 31
Harriet was sitting in the jail’s reception area at seven-thirty. She checked the time, the weather and the news on her phone. The story about Michelle hadn’t hit the news yet, but that wasn’t unusual, given how far away from Seattle Foggy Point was.
It was five minutes after eight when the receptionist smiled at her.
“I hear the locks,” she said.
“Do I look okay?” Harriet asked her nervously.
“He’s going to think you look just fine.”
Moments later, Aiden came through the last door. Harriet hesitated a moment. He looked terrible. The bruises around his eye were changing color. His chiseled face looked skeletal. He was wearing the clothes he’d worn to their dinner a week ago. She felt tears sting her eyes.
He stopped and waited for her to come to him. She paused a moment more, and then he opened his arms slightly, and she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around him. He pulled her to his chest and rested his chin on her head, his arms tight around her.
Crazy as a Quilt (A Harriet Turman/Loose Threads Mystery Book 8) Page 24
