Yesterday's Shadow: A Lacey Summers Mystery

by Curry, Edna

  “On Friday?” Lacey frowned. “Are you sure it was Friday?”

  “Yes, I always go shopping on Friday. My husband has a standing club golf date on Fridays, so I spend the day at the mall. Works out beautifully, ’cause he hates to take me shopping, and I hate to drive in the cities. Well, see you on Saturday about seven then.”

  “We’ll be there,” Marion assured her.

  Lacey’s brow furrowed as she watched Mrs. Ronning walk back to join her waiting friends.

  “What’s the matter?” Marion asked.

  “Kate was supposed to be still in Florida on Friday. In fact, Jerry was supposed to be picking her up at the airport Saturday afternoon. My phone was out or they would have had me do it.”

  “Odd. Maybe she has her days mixed up,” Marion dismissed. “You know how older people are.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Hey, isn’t that your blue Chevy going by?” Marion pointed one red-tipped finger towards the windows.

  “Yes,” Lacey laughed. “I loaned it to Mark for the afternoon. He rode into town with me this morning, so he didn’t have a car.”

  Marion’s eyebrow went up. “He rode into town with you?”

  “We were in a hurry.”

  She proceeded to recount the recent happenings to her friend. She trusted Marion implicitly. They had always told each other everything. Well, almost everything. Except during her marriage. That had been too painful to be told to anyone. But now she held nothing back. “Mark’s turning the CDs and printouts over to Ben. We’ll see what he makes of them.”

  Their salads arrived and they chatted on over coffee. It was the first time Lacey had really relaxed since she had arrived in Landers and heard about the murder.

  “You must come over to swim in my parents’ new pool,” Marion confided.

  “You have a pool? In Landers? This has to be a first, even for your folks.”

  “I know. It’s really an extravagance, considering the short time we can use it in Minnesota.” Marion smiled ruefully. “But it’s heated, so that lengthens the season a bit. They had it put in after they sold their cabin at the lake. Mom decided that the cabin was too much extra work for both of them at their age, and the pool’s much healthier to swim in. No swimmer’s itch.”

  “I suppose so. We had some great times at that lake cabin, though. Remember the prom night party when we danced until dawn, and then your mom gave us that great catered breakfast?”

  “I’ll never forget it. I nearly died from embarrassment when she was planning it with the teachers. I thought the kids would laugh and refuse to come, but they loved it.”

  “Didn’t we just? I remember Tom Fluss was sweet on you that spring. You danced with him most of the evening.”

  “No more than you danced with Dave. Arthur was so jealous, I thought he was going to beat Dave up on the spot. It was right after that that you began dating Arthur, wasn’t it? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject.”

  “It’s okay. It’s all in the past, now. Whatever happened to Tom, anyway?” Lacey asked, not wanting to talk about Arthur.

  “Tom joined the Marines. I think he’s in California, now. You still see Dave now and then, don’t you?” Marion asked carefully, toying with her water glass.

  Lacey glanced at her sharply. “Yes, when I stop at his garage. He keeps my car in shape, but he’s never asked me out again. After all, I dropped him and married Arthur.”

  “Dave’s not like that. He never holds a grudge.”

  “Dave’s a great guy. I trust him to take care of my car, and since Jerry dislikes me so, I avoid his gas station whenever possible. Sad state of family affairs, isn’t it?” Lacey said, smiling ruefully.

  “No more than other families’ second marriages. There always seem to be some hard feelings somewhere in the group. Jerry and Elaine met at that prom party, didn’t they?”

  “Yes. They each came as someone else’s date. It was so comical how they eyed each other all evening.”

  “And then they ended up married. Elaine is a happy little mother now, don’t you think?”

  “Umm. She adores little Jimmy.”

  “Yes. So does Kate.”

  Another bad subject, thought Lacey, drawing a long breath. Sibling jealousy at my age? Shame on me. “Yes. How about tomorrow night? To try the pool, I mean?”

  “Terrific.” Marion agreed. “Could you come over early and help me a bit on Mom’s church bazaar? She’s roped me into another of her charity things.” She wrinkled her nose and lit yet another cigarette.

  “Sure, why not? I guess it won’t hurt me to donate a little work, too. That’s another thing I miss in Minneapolis, all the community gab-fests over the tables at these affairs. Everyone in the area should be there.”

  “They usually are. Mom even roped Jake Garner into coming to help price things, just in case some real antique appears among the white elephants.”

  Lacey almost changed her mind upon hearing that, but decided that she was not going to let her friend down just to avoid Jake.

  Chapter 8

  An hour later, Lacey rode with her mother through the lovely spring countryside the twenty miles to Canton, for the meeting with the lawyer.

  Kate drove her stepson’s yellow Cadillac as though it were her own. Kate had that ability, to reign as though she were queen, wherever she was. Somehow everyone seemed to accept it as though she was entitled to royal treatment.

  No one ever seems to resent it, or even notice except me, Lacey thought.

  Kate was dressed now in a silver-gray Dior suit that she had brought back from her honeymoon with Carl in Paris. A red silk scarf at her throat offset the gray in her hair. She eyed Lacey’s pantsuit with obvious distaste. “Why didn’t you have Marion outfit you with something decent this noon, instead of wasting two hours over lunch?”

  “What’s wrong with this pantsuit? I like it.”

  “Would you wear pants to a business meeting at your job?”

  “No, of course not. But we’ve known Mr. Hammerton for years. It’s not the same. Besides, I don’t keep any of my business clothes at the cabin.”

  “That is no excuse. You could have bought something new. You never buy enough clothes anyway.”

  “You’re right, Mother, I should have. But you know how it is. Marion and I haven’t seen each other for a while. We just started talking and forgot the time.”

  “You and Marion always did talk for hours about nothing. I really never liked that girl, even if she does know her clothes.”

  “I’ll stop at Marion’s shop and buy a dress or two as soon as we finish with Mr. Hammerton.” It was the perfect opening she needed to buy the dress she needed for her date tonight without telling Kate why she needed one immediately.

  Besides, she had no intention of going back to Jerry’s for more family talk with her mother. If Jake Garner was right about what Henry had written in his will, if indeed, Henry had left one at all, Kate was not going to be in one of her nice moods after the lawyer told her.

  Anyway, Lacey was not about to warn her. Let the chips fall where they may, she thought. While she would indeed be grateful to Henry if he had left her something, she wasn’t going to be disappointed if Jake had been wrong. How odd! Maybe my feelings have gone numb or something. I really don’t care.

  “By the way, Mrs. Ronning stopped by in the restaurant to invite me and Marion to her party next Saturday night,” Lacey said as casually as she could, glancing at her mother. Was she imagining it, or did Kate’s knuckles whiten around the steering wheel? “She mentioned that she had invited you too.”

  “Why, yes, she did.”

  “When?”

  “What?”

  “When did she ask you?”

  Kate frowned. “Why, I don’t remember. I saw her several times over the last few days.”

  “She said it was at the Rosedale Mall on Friday.”

  “I’m sure she was mistaken. I didn’t get here until Saturday. She’s getting on i
n years, even if she is a dear and gives lovely dinner parties.”

  Kate’s tone of voice said the subject was closed. But Lacey had detected the nervous twitch in her mother’s lip that had always given her away. Why was Kate lying? When had she really flown to Minneapolis and why?

  Mr. Hammerton welcomed them into his plush, book-lined office personally. “Kate, my dear, how nice to see you again,” he wheezed, taking her hand in his large fat one, and planting a kiss on it. “And you, Lacey. You’re as lovely as ever, my dear. Come in, come in. Bring us some coffee,” he directed the buxom girl who hovered in the outer office. She scurried to do his bidding.

  “How are you, Conrad,” Kate gushed, all smiles, as she took a plush chair opposite him. Lacey sat in the other chair, trying not to show her dislike of this man who had been her parents’ lawyer and friend for years. Fat, jolly, and well dressed, he somehow managed to convey evil to her instead of the Santa Claus image he imagined he portrayed.

  “Tell me about Florida, Kate,” he said now. He took out his antique gold watch and played with its chain absentmindedly as he listened to her happily describe their carefree retirement life of parties and sand and sun.

  Lacey was glad her mother was happy, yet a part of her mind resented the fact that Kate seemed happier now than she had seemed with Lacey’s father. But she said nothing, of course.

  After a half hour of coffee and rambling conversation, Kate asked, “Has there been any progress on settling Bill’s estate?”

  Lacey glanced at her mother apprehensively. Grandfather Bill’s will was a sore point. Shortly before he died, he had talked to Mr. Hammerton about writing up a new one, but never did it, so the previous one stood. Mr. Hammerton shook his head. “No, Kate. As I explained to Kate before,” he said, glancing at Lacey, “since Bill died before Minnie, she inherited half of his land under the previous will. When she died, her children, Jake and Helen Garner, inherit that half from her.”

  “It’s not fair,” Kate insisted. “Not when he had already given her a house and car. And when they separated after only two lousy years of marriage.”

  “But nothing was settled legally,” Mr. Hammerton put in.

  “Mother, please,” said Lacey. “Don’t get upset.”

  “Don’t get upset?” Kate exclaimed, “How can you say that when you know that’s what brought on your father’s heart attack? And now poor Henry’s gone, too,”

  Mr. Hammerton looked uncomfortable. He patted Kate’s hand and puffed at his cigar. When his secretary stuck her head in and asked him to take an important phone call, he eagerly left the room to take it in the outer office. By the time he returned, Kate had composed herself.

  He brought more coffee and finally got down to business. Jake had been right. Except for a few small bequests, Henry had left everything “to Lacey, to do with as she sees fit.”

  As Lacey had anticipated, Kate was furious.

  “That’s ridiculous!” she sputtered at Mr. Hammerton, forgetting to keep her vowels round and soft. “Can’t you break the will or something? I was Henry’s sister. That should matter more than a niece, even if she did live with him weekends for a few years.” She sent a furious stare at Lacey as though to convey that she thought Lacey had done something terrible to bring this calamity down on her head. Lacey calmly returned her look, refusing to accept this attempt to make her feel guilty for what Henry had done.

  “I had nothing to do with it, Mother. I didn’t even know he had made a will. Henry never mentioned it,” she said quietly, although a sick, sour knot had grown in the pit of her stomach. Why couldn’t she and her mother ever get along?

  Henry had a right to do what he wished with his own property, didn’t he? But she felt sure that Kate would never believe Lacey hadn’t talked him into doing it this way.

  “A likely story. Well, I’ll fight it. Henry got his start in business with money that came from our father. Half of it should have been mine years ago except for pa’s crazy, Old World ideas.”

  “That may well be, but I’m afraid it’s perfectly legal, Kate. Henry was quite sure of what he wanted; we discussed it several times. I wrote it myself, so I know it’s legal,” Mr. Hammerton explained gently.

  Kate seemed to slump in her chair and sighed. “I know Henry and I had our differences, but I thought he still loved me.”

  At that moment Lacey felt sorry for her. Not because she was left out of the will, but because Kate was now realizing it was too late to repair bad feelings, too late for shared love with a brother she had lived close to, but had never really been close to, emotionally.

  “Are you sure you didn’t talk Henry into this?” she turned angry eyes on her daughter again.

  Lacey shook her head, not daring to speak.

  “Lacey didn’t know. I’m sorry, Kate. But it’s what he wanted,” Mr. Hammerton repeated. His eyes looked sad in his heavy face, and he rubbed his double chin, as though a missed whisker itched.

  Then Kate seemed to pull herself together. Lacey could almost see the mask of glamour and training return to her features. Kate smiled at Mr. Hammerton as she stood to say good-bye. “It’s not your fault, Conrad. Say hello to Sylvia for me. I think I may fly back to Florida in the morning, now that things here are Lacey’s responsibility.”

  “I’ll do that, my dear. And you say hello to your lucky bridegroom. Tell Carl I said he must be good for you, because you’re looking younger and lovelier than ever.”

  “Flatterer!” Kate was her old self again.

  “If there’s anything you need me for, Lacey, just call,” he added. “I’ll file this with probate court tomorrow, and get the titles changed to your name, and so on. It all takes a bit of time, you understand, but I’ll take care of everything for you.”

  He was all honey to her now, Lacey realized, since now she was his client. Well, maybe for now, but no longer than necessary. She suppressed a shudder as he kissed her hand again in farewell. She quickly withdrew it, saying a quick good-bye, and hurrying back out to the splashy yellow Cadillac.

  Kate slid behind the wheel, and turned the key, then flipped on the radio. A jovial announcer predicted another lovely spring day tomorrow, with sunshine, little wind, and temperatures in the seventies. There was little traffic, and little to look at except open farmland as they drove along.

  To Lacey’s relief, Kate said little on the return trip. Lacey knew Kate would be a long time forgiving her for this day, whether or not she believed that Lacey had known about Henry’s will in advance. The fact that Kate had no need for Henry’s small amount of money had nothing to do with it. It was the principle of the thing, just as it was with Bill’s farm.

  So Kate would be polite and cold and they would be farther apart than ever. Lacey sighed inwardly. Had she ever in her whole life pleased her mother?

  She couldn’t remember. She had done very well in school, but it had never seemed to be enough, even when she had stood on her graduation platform, making the Salutatorian Address to the whole town. Why did she still try? She closed her eyes and listened to the soft purr of the tires on the asphalt, only opening them again as she felt the car turn off the highway into Landers.

  Kate was still silent and Lacey had to remind her to drop her at Marion’s dress shop. It was already four o’clock, and Mark was to pick her up at five. She still had nothing to wear. She certainly was not going to wear this pantsuit out to dinner tonight. She said a relieved good-bye to a preoccupied Kate, and dashed into Marion’s shop.

  Marion was just writing up a customer’s purchase. She took one look at Lacey’s face, and waved her to her private office nook at the back of the shop. In a few moments, she joined her there and poured her some coffee.

  “Bad meeting, eh?” she sympathized softly. Marion knew all about how she and Kate got along, having listened to Lacey often enough throughout their high-school years. It was so nice now, while her hurt feelings were so raw, not to have to explain, to just receive comfort.

  Lacey sipped the hot
, black fluid gratefully. “I must change, grow up and not allow her to hurt me,” she said, with a shaky laugh. “We’re not likely to ever be best buddies.”

  “Easier said than done. I take it Jake was right about the will?”

  Lacey nodded, frowning. “Odd that Henry told him. I didn’t think they were close at all. In fact, Henry often seemed contemptuous of Jake.”

  “In what way?”

  “I can’t remember, exactly. Just off remarks, I think.” She sipped her coffee, lost in thought, but the memory eluded her. Then she drained her cup, and stood up abruptly. “No time for worrying about that. I have a dinner date tonight, and nothing to wear. So start being a saleslady.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Marion grinned. “I know just the thing.” She pulled a dress out of a rack and spread it across her arm to show it off to Lacey. A soft peach silk dinner dress with a low bodice and a full skirt, it looked gorgeous and expensive. “Isn’t it a dream?”

  “Lovely,” Lacey agreed. “I’d love to try it on. But you know I can’t afford something like that. Now be serious.”

  “I am. Wait’ll you see it on.”

  “All right.” Lacey bowed to the urging of her friend. Marion’s delight as she turned in front of the three-way mirror was enough to convince her she did, indeed, look lovely. The dress flowed in luscious lines along her slim curves.

  “But it’s too fancy for anywhere in Landers. I’d feel out of place.”

  “Then we’ll go somewhere else. It looks wonderful on you.” Mark spoke behind them making both young women turn as one.

  “Oh, but...” Lacey began, then stopped. She had been going to say it was too expensive, but couldn’t in front of Mark. He would probably have the nerve to offer to pay for it. And Marion would just raise her eyebrows in disbelief, since she thought Lacey’s salary at Armstrong Investigations sounded wonderful compared to hers at the dress shop in little Landers.

  “It’s perfect on you,” Marion insisted, glad for once to have support in getting Lacey into something dressy instead of casual. She pretended not to see Lacey frown and shake her head at her.