“I’m not talking about real estate.”
“Aunt Nora,” I said in mock indignation, “you have a dirty mind!”
“I didn’t say a word,” she said, trying to look innocent.
“You’ve said enough that you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
She just laughed. As for me, I refused to speculate further. “If you can get your mind out of the gutter,” I said, “is there anybody else who had a reason to kill Seth?”
She thought it over but finally shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of a thing.”
“I appreciate you trying to help, anyway. Speaking of helping, can I help you carry the leftovers out to your car?”
“No, thanks. I’m leaving everything here in case any of y’all need a snack later on. I’ll come back tomorrow to pick up what’s left.”
“Aunt Nora, I can personally guarantee that there won’t be anything left tomorrow but fond memories.”
Despite Aunt Nora’s objecting that I didn’t need to be toting boxes, I did help her carry leftovers into the kitchen before she left.
Chapter 16
One of the few advantages of using the recreation center was having a kitchen available. Mrs. Gamp kept the coffeepot full and made sure there were cookies and other treats for every rehearsal. I’d been keeping bottles of water in the refrigerator, plus a bag of fruit. I was eyeing the leftover cookies, trying to decide if I had room for one more, when Florence came in. So I grabbed a cookie and leaned nonchalantly against the counter, figuring that calories consumed in the line of duty didn’t count.
“Hey there, Laurie Anne,” Florence said. “Won’t you join me for a cup of tea?” She started pulling out the fixings.
“No, thanks. The doctor’s got me staying away from caffeine for the duration.”
“What with everything else going on, I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you on the baby,” she said. “You and Richard must be so excited.”
“Absolutely. At least, when we’re not in stark terror.”
Florence smiled. “Don’t you worry. Y’all are going to make wonderful parents.”
“Thank you. And while we’re congratulating, belated congratulations on your marriage.” I winced. “I mean, best wishes.”
“Don’t apologize. I know you’re not supposed to congratulate a new bride, but as long as it took me to get David to marry me, I think I deserve congratulations. Do you know I chased that man for ten years?”
“Really? Y’all are so clearly in love now.”
“Oh, we were in love the whole time. He just didn’t believe that I loved him as much as he loved me.” She shook her head. “Men can be so silly. He had it in his head that there was no way that one of the Easterlys could be interested in plain old David Murdstone. As if I cared one bit that his father wasn’t a banker or a lawyer. There isn’t a thing wrong with making furniture.”
I nodded, but I had to wonder if she would have been that understanding if she’d known what else her father-in-law made.
“Besides, it was David I married, not Seth, and he’s as much a gentleman as any man I’ve ever known.”
Darned if her eyes didn’t glow when she said that, and I smiled, remembering the way I’d felt when Richard and I first got married. Come to think of it, I still felt that way.
She said, “Oh, I dated other men, and I’ve had my share of proposals, but I knew David was the man I wanted. And it’s like my daddy says, once I’ve made up my mind, don’t get in my way, or you’ll have a Florence-sized hole in your middle.”
“Then your family accepts David?”
“Absolutely. They know quality when they see it.”
“How about David’s family?”
“It did take some time to win Jake over,” she admitted. “I think he figured I was too high and mighty to really be interested in David, and that I was toying with his brother’s affections. But he came around. Even though Jake’s rough around the edges, he’s got a good heart.”
“And Seth? He must have been delighted when David finally got married, at his age and all.” Then I realized what I’d implied about Florence’s age. “Not that David’s old—”
Florence just laughed and patted my arm. “That’s all right, Laurie Anne, I know I’m not the usual blushing bride. Goodness knows my family has reminded me of that fact more than once. Seth did seem happy that David was settling down. In fact, he joked that if David hadn’t married me, he’d have proposed himself. I’m glad that we married in time for him to see it. Their family—my family now—has seen so much sadness. David’s mother, and then Jake’s little boy, and now Seth.”
The Murdstones had lost a lot, and I suddenly felt ashamed of grilling Florence. “David must be so glad he has you to help him through this.”
“No more so than I am to be here for him. He’s everything to me, Laurie Anne. I’m sure you know what I mean.” She finished her tea. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to visit the little girls’ room.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me, too.” I stopped long enough to cover up the cookies so they wouldn’t go stale, but I couldn’t have been more than half a minute behind her. That put me right at the bathroom door when I heard Florence shriek, and then a loud thump.
I yanked open the door, saw Florence on her back, and started inside, but she said, “Don’t come in! You’ll fall!”
Looking down, I saw that the floor was coated with pale pink liquid, and I realized that I’d found the soap that had been stolen from the men’s room.
Chapter 17
David came running when he heard that Florence had fallen, and it was he who made his way cautiously across the slippery tiles to check his wife for broken bones before lifting her into his arms. Only when he was sure that she was all right, other than a few bruises, did he let his fury show.
“I demand to know who is responsible for this!” he roared.
Nobody spoke, which wasn’t surprising. Had I spilled that soap, I would have been afraid to admit it in the face of so much anger.
“You heard the man!” Richard added. “Who the hell is playing these damned games?”
I blinked, surprised by my husband’s reaction. Then he took my hand, and I understood. If I’d gone in first instead of Florence, I would have been the one to fall instead of her, and in my condition, I might have suffered more than a few bruises. I could have lost the baby. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around my tummy and hide.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I said in as strong a voice as I could manage.
“Let me take a look in there,” Junior said, and strode past us. She stayed in only a minute or two, then came back with an empty soap dispenser in her hand. “Nothing fancy. Whoever it was just spilled the soap on the floor. No way to tell who.”
“What’s wrong now?” somebody said. Mark Pope was pushing his way in.
“Another prank,” Junior said.
“One hell of a prank,” David snapped. “Florence could have been seriously hurt. Something has to be done.”
“Damned right!” Richard said. He told Mark what had happened to Florence, and finished with, “This is on top of what happened to Kyle this morning.”
“Did anybody see anything?” Mark asked. “Who was the last one to go in there?”
It took a bit of sorting, but we finally figured out that the triplets had taken Junior’s two nieces in there at ten-thirty for a costume fitting, and that they’d been in there at least half an hour. Jake had gone to the men’s room during that time, and the soap dispenser was still intact then. Richard had discovered the missing soap right before one o’clock, so the trap had been set some time during those two hours.
Once again, pretty much anybody could have done it, because everybody had been busy during that time.
“It had to have been a woman,” Oliver insisted. “Somebody would have noticed a man going into the ladies’ room.”
�
�No more so than a woman going into the men’s room to get the soap,” Aunt Maggie shot back.
“Maybe nobody went in,” Junior drawled.
“What do you mean by that?” Mark asked sharply.
“The bathroom window is open, there’s no screen, and there’s a splash pattern around the spot where I found the dispenser. I’m guessing that whoever it was went outside and threw the dispenser in. Otherwise they would have left tracks in the soap.” She pointed to the path David had left when carrying out Florence, and lifted one foot to show the soap smeared on the bottom of her boots.
Mark said, “Then there’s absolutely no way of knowing who it was. People, I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to babysit you in the middle of a murder investigation.”
“You could have fooled me,” Aunt Maggie said. “I can’t see that you’ve done a thing all day.”
Mark ignored her. “I’ve half a mind to close down this show just to make sure nothing else happens.”
“You can’t!” Vasti said. “There’s—I’ve got—you can’t!”
“I understand how you feel, Mrs. Bumgarner, but in the interest of public safety …”
“In the interest of public safety, you had better find out who is doing this!” a voice boomed. Big Bill was standing in front of Mark. I’d gotten so used to him being one of the gang that I’d almost forgotten that he was Big Bill Walters. Apparently, so had Mark.
“But Mr. Walters, surely you don’t want to risk—”
“Deputy Pope, it’s your job to investigate all crimes in Byerly, not just the ones that make the newspaper. If you can’t handle the job, then perhaps Junior would be willing—”
“No, sir, I can handle it.” He took a deep breath. “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. Then I suggest you get to work. I assume that’s why you’re here.”
“Actually, I came to let the Murdstones know that the coroner has released Mr. Murdstone’s remains so they can make the necessary arrangements.”
“Thank you, Deputy Pope,” Florence said. Then she said, “Mr. Fredericks? How long would it take to prepare the services we discussed?”
“I can have everything in place by as soon as tomorrow evening,” Pete said.
“That’ll do fine.”
“I’ll have your father-in-law picked up immediately.” I was glad Pete wasn’t wearing his Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come costume. It would have been too creepy for words.
“Thank you.” Florence raised her voice. “While everybody is here, I want to let you know that the visitation for my father-in-law will be at Giles Funeral Home at seven-thirty tomorrow evening, with the funeral there at ten the next morning.” To Richard she added, “I’m sure you realize that David, Jake, and I will miss rehearsal.”
“I’m canceling rehearsals for both those times,” Richard assured her.
“Thank you. Then let’s take advantage of the time we’ve got.”
“I think I should take you home, darling,” David said.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Florence said. “My big scene is coming up.”
“But—”
“You are the sweetest man to be concerned, but if you’ll let me stand up, I’ll show you that no harm was done.”
Sure enough, she wasn’t even limping once she got on her feet again.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Absolutely. Though I’ll feel so much better if you stay by my side.”
“Of course,” he said happily.
I heard Mrs. Gamp say, “Aren’t they the sweetest couple?” at about the same time Aunt Maggie snorted.
Then Richard said, “Laura, don’t you want to go back to Aunt Maggie’s house? To take a nap or something?”
“Aren’t you the sweetest thing?” I cooed.
“All right, I get the message. I just don’t want you or the baby getting hurt.”
“And I don’t want you getting hurt. The next prank could just as easily be set for you.”
“You’re right. I’ll be careful if you are.”
“It’s a deal.” I kissed him and then pushed him toward the stage. “Now get to work.” Not that I wasn’t nervous, but I was even more angry. Whether the trickster had anything to do with Seth’s murder or not, now I was bound and determined to find him.
I said as much to Junior a few minutes later.
“Then we’re on the same page. I thought I’d wander around and make sure nothing else goes wrong.”
“Do you think he would try anything else today? He’s got to know that you and David will string him up if we catch him. If Richard doesn’t get to him first, that is.”
“Whatever else he may be, he’s been pretty gutsy up until now. So I’ll see if I can fade into the background a while.”
“I’ll come with you.”
She didn’t say anything. She just looked down at my tummy.
“I guess I’m not in any condition to fade, am I?”
“Maybe you should keep on talking to people instead,” she suggested tactfully.
I didn’t like it, but she was right. So while Junior lurked, I looked around to see who I might talk to. Tim Topper was sitting by himself, drinking coffee, and I remembered what Richard had said about him not liking Seth. Since I had nothing better to do, I figured I might as well find out why.
“Hey, Tim,” I said, taking the chair next to him.
Tim was a big man, around my age, with caramel-colored skin, hazel eyes, and untamed eyebrows. “Hey, Laurie Anne,” he said. “How’s the little mama?” He reached out toward my tummy, then stopped himself with an embarrassed grin.
“Go ahead,” I said. “Everybody else in town has already patted us. I don’t want you to feel left out.”
He laughed, but he patted. “Have you decided on names yet?”
“Richard and I are still negotiating. He’s thinking Portia for a girl or Mercutio for a boy, but I’m partial to Scarlett or Rhett.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
“Tim! I’m kidding!”
“Whew!” he said with a loud sigh of relief. “I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to keep a straight face.”
“You know us better than that. Scarlett?” I shuddered, especially knowing that Vasti had put that one on her short list for Bitsy.
“People do get creative with their children’s names. I’m mighty grateful my mama went with something simple like Tim. And Laurie Anne is a real pretty name.”
Actually, my mother always called me Laura, but the rest of the South was stuck on Laurie Anne, and I’d given up on changing their minds. So I just said, “Thank you.” Then, wanting to edge the conversation toward something more useful, I said, “Are you enjoying your acting debut?”
“I’m having a great time. You know I’ve got a weak spot for Dickens.”
I looked up on the stage, where Big Bill was practicing the jig Scrooge dances upon realizing that he hasn’t missed Christmas. “Big Bill seems to be having fun, too. Maybe I shouldn’t say so, but I think he’s a lot better in the part than Seth Murdstone was.”
“A whole lot better,” Tim said emphatically.
“It is terrible what happened to Seth. Did you know him well?”
“Never met him until we started on the play, and even if he hadn’t been killed, I don’t expect I’d ever have spoken to him again afterward.”
“Really? Did you not—”
Tim downed the rest of his coffee. “Excuse me, Laurie Anne, but I better head on up to the stage. Richard’s going to be calling for me any minute.”
He was gone before I could point out that Richard had just backed up a couple of scenes, meaning that Tim wasn’t going to be needed for a while yet. I frowned, not happy with the implications. Not only had Tim not liked Seth, but he wasn’t even willing to talk about the man. I hated to be suspicious of him, but it looked as if I had to be.
Chapter 18
I must have been looking as nonplussed by
Tim’s reaction as I felt, because Mrs. Gamp appeared at my elbow and asked, “Are you all right, dear?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? Mrs. Harris says you shouldn’t be too careful when you’re in the family way.”
“She’s probably right.” Then, recognizing an opportunity, I said, “How are you doing? I mean, after the upset of finding Seth and all.”
She shook her head back and forth. “That poor man. It’s a terrible thing to be murdered to death that way. Mrs. Harris hasn’t been able to sleep a wink since it happened.”
“Bless her heart,” I said sympathetically, though I wondered if Mrs. Gamp had stayed awake with Mrs. Harris. She was looking a bit worn around the edges. “It must have been a shock for you. Somebody told me that y’all used to date.”
“Is that what they call it now?” Mrs. Gamp giggled. “We used to call it sex.”
I blinked, not sure if I’d heard that right.
“We were both lonely, don’t you know,” Mrs. Gamp said. “His wife had passed over, and Mr. Gamp was gone. So Seth and I had sex for a while, just to pass the time.”
“Oh.” It was an inadequate response, but I couldn’t imagine what would have been a better one.
“We eventually broke it off. Seth wanted people to think it was his idea, but I’m the one who wanted to stop. He wasn’t very nice.”
“Really?” I said, thinking I’d found somebody else who didn’t approve of Seth. “Most everybody I’ve spoken to liked him.”
“Oh, I don’t mean he wasn’t a nice man. I mean he wasn’t nice in bed. Not much of a lover.”
I gave up on words and just nodded a few times.
“Too much in a hurry, if you take my meaning. Not like my Mr. Gamp. He knew how to satisfy a woman.”
I nodded some more.
“How’s your husband?”
“I beg your pardon?” I squeaked.
“Sorry, dear, was I mumbling? Mrs. Harris says I’m always mincing up my words.” In a louder voice, she said, “How’s your husband? Is he enjoying working on the play?”
“Oh, yes, very much,” I said, happy to change the subject. “He’s always wanted to direct.”
Toni L.P. Kelner - Laura Fleming 07 - Mad as the Dickens Page 13
